Oscar Schmidt, the Brazilian basketball superstar, passed away at the age of 68 after a prolonged battle with brain cancer. Larry Bird, the former NBA star, expressed his admiration for Schmidt, stating he was 'without a doubt, one of the greatest players to ever play the game.' Schmidt's illustrious career includes being the all-time leading scorer in both the Olympics, with 1,093 points, and the FIBA World Cup, with 906 points. He was considered the unofficial leading scorer in professional basketball history, accumulating 49,737 points before LeBron James surpassed him in 2024. Notably, Schmidt led Brazil to a gold medal in the 1987 Pan-American Games, scoring 46 points in the final against a strong U.S. team. Bird had the honor of presenting Schmidt during his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.