Brazilian basketball great Oscar Schmidt dies at age of 68

Brazilian great Oscar Schmidt has died at ⁠age 68, ⁠his press office said on Friday without providing details about the cause of his death. ⁠Schmidt had been hospitalized in the Sao Paulo metropolitan area after feeling ill, his press office said in a previous statement.

A member of the Basketball Hall of Fame since 2013, Schmidt enjoyed a 30-year professional career spent in ⁠local ⁠teams and in Europe.

One of the greatest three-point shooters in history, Schmidt holds the record for the most points in Olympic tournament history (1,093) and most in a single Olympic Games (55).

Schmidt led Brazil ⁠to victory over the U.S. in the 1987 Pan American Games final, only the second time the U.S. lost the tournament and the first on home soil.

His shooting accuracy ⁠earned ‌him ‌the nickname “Holy Hand,” a ⁠label he was ‌always keen to challenge, recalling the countless hours he spent ⁠on the court practising ⁠shots.