Brazil's run in the basketball event at the 2024 Paris Olympics has come to an end, but it's through no fault of Bruno Caboclo. No longer two years away from being two years away, Caboclo played his heart out for his country in their 122-87 loss to Team USA in the quarterfinals of the competition. The 28-year-old forward scored 30 points on a clean 13-20 shooting from the field, leading all scorers in the process.
In so doing, Caboclo made a neat piece of history that he'll surely hold near and dear to his heart. After breaching the 30-point mark against Team USA, he became just the third player in the history of Olympic basketball to score 30 or more in consecutive games, joining Brazil legend Oscar Schmidt and Puerto Rican scoring machine Jose Ortiz as the only players to do so, per FIBA.
Schmidt is the all-time leader in points scored in the entire history of basketball in the Olympics. He represented Brazil in the summer games on five consecutive occasions, spanning 16 years (1980-1996). He was remarkably consistent for his country, playing at a high level until he was 38 years of age. Schmidt also holds the record for most points scored in a single Olympic game, with 55.
For Bruno Caboclo to be in this rarefied air is nothing short of a major feat. In the end, however, Brazil once again fell short in the quarterfinals; Oscar Schmidt famously never made it past the quarterfinals of the competition, with the United States, Yugoslavia, and Soviet Union proving to be too difficult to overcome during his time.
Bruno Caboclo plays a starring role for Brazil despite defeat
Credit must go to Brazil for fighting with everything they got. They did not earn an outright qualification into the 2024 Paris Olympics and had to punch their ticket by winning the qualifying tournament in Latvia. They also did well to qualify as one of the best third-place teams in the group stage, with Bruno Caboclo dominating a shorthanded Japan team with a 33-point, 18-rebound masterclass to give Brazil a 102-84 victory.
Alas, all that earned Brazil was a tough matchup against Team USA. They were making it very competitive in the second quarter thanks to the solid pace and space in their play, but USA went berserk to close out the half and kept Brazil at bay from there.
It's not quite clear if Bruno Caboclo's Olympic performances are enough to give him another shot in the NBA. But his game has matured and he has become an impact player for Brazil, and he deserves credit for fleshing out his game after his star in the NBA lost its luster rather quickly.
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