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22 years later, the class of 1984 is still considered as one of the best, if not the best, crop of players to ever come out of the draft.
Household names such as Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon lead the pack, but somewhere within the bumper crop of accomplished greats is another player that never got to set foot in the NBA, yet he is still considered as one of the greatest basketball players of all-time.
Oscar Schmidt was selected in the 6th round of the ‘84 draft by the New Jersey Nets, but he ultimately decided to represent flag instead of playing in the NBA, because during that time, NBA players were not allowed in the Olympics.
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In a recent interview with The Vertical’s Michael Lee, the Brazilian basketball legend boldly answered the what-ifs on the NBA career that never happened.
“I would be top 10. Ever. For sure. One guy can’t defend me. You need two. At least.”
It’s hard to refute his claim. Schmidt is a fearless and highly skilled scorer who always played his best when pitted against the Americans in international tourneys. He is also the all-time leading scorer in professional basketball history with 49,737 career points.
In the 1988 Olympics, Oscar Schmidt was at his best, averaging 41.9 points for the entire competition. To this day, his name remains as one of the best that never got to grace the NBA.
