The Most Famous
BASKETBALL PLAYERS from Brazil
This page contains a list of the greatest Brazilian Basketball Players. The pantheon dataset contains 1,757 Basketball Players, 11 of which were born in Brazil. This makes Brazil the birth place of the 18th most number of Basketball Players behind Latvia, and Montenegro.
Top 10
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Brazilian Basketball Players of all time. This list of famous Brazilian Basketball Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Brazilian Basketball Players.
1. Oscar Schmidt (b. 1958)
With an HPI of 56.28, Oscar Schmidt is the most famous Brazilian Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 25 different languages on wikipedia.
Oscar Daniel Bezerra Schmidt (born February 16, 1958), nicknamed Mão Santa (Holy Hand), is a Brazilian retired professional basketball player. Schmidt primarily played the power forward and small forward position, was 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) tall and weighed 109 kg (240 lbs). Along with his home country, Schmidt also played in Italy for JuveCaserta and Pavia, and Spain for Fórum Valladolid. He was born in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. He was considered to be the all-time leading scorer in the history of basketball, with 49,973 career points scored (pro club league play, plus senior Brazilian national team play combined), until LeBron James broke this record on April 2, 2024. He is the record holder for the longest career span of a professional basketball player at 29 years. He is also the top scorer in the history of the Summer Olympic Games, and the top scorer in the history of the FIBA World Cup. He was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991. He received the Olympic Order in 1997. On August 20, 2010, Schmidt became a FIBA Hall of Fame player, in recognition of his play in international competitions. On September 8, 2013, Schmidt was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
2. Ruy de Freitas (1916 - 2012)
With an HPI of 44.35, Ruy de Freitas is the 2nd most famous Brazilian Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Ruy de Freitas (24 August 1916 – 2 August 2012), also commonly known as Tio Ruy, was a Brazilian professional basketball player and coach, who competed in two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1948. He was born in Macaé. At his first appearance in London he won the bronze medal with the Brazilian basketball team under the guidance of head coach Moacyr Daiuto.
3. Hortência Marcari (b. 1959)
With an HPI of 40.25, Hortência Marcari is the 3rd most famous Brazilian Basketball Player. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Hortência Maria de Fátima Marcari (born September 23, 1959) is a former basketball player who is often considered to be one of the greatest female basketball players in Brazil, along with Paula. Marcari is a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted in 2002), the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted in 2005), and FIBA Hall of Fame (inducted in 2007). She is known in her country as Hortência, and her nickname is The Queen.
4. Marcelo Huertas (b. 1983)
With an HPI of 39.85, Marcelo Huertas is the 4th most famous Brazilian Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.
Marcelo "Marcelinho" Tieppo Huertas (born 25 May 1983) is a Brazilian professional basketball player and the team captain for CB Canarias of the Spanish Liga ACB. He is also a member of the senior men's Brazilian national basketball team, and holds Italian citizenship. At 32 years old he was the second oldest rookie in the NBA after Pablo Prigioni and before Andre Ingram. After signing with the Lakers in 2015 he played 1+1⁄2 seasons with the Lakers before returning to Spain in 2017.
5. Leandro Barbosa (b. 1982)
With an HPI of 39.09, Leandro Barbosa is the 5th most famous Brazilian Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 37 different languages.
Leandro Mateus Barbosa (Portuguese pronunciation: [leˈɐ̃dɾu baʁˈbozɐ]; born November 28, 1982), also known as Leandrinho Barbosa, is a Brazilian former professional basketball player who is an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represented the senior Brazilian national basketball team. Barbosa previously won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, with the Suns in 2007, and an NBA championship with Golden State in 2015. In Brazil, he is also commonly known by his nickname "Leandrinho" ("Little Leandro") Barbosa, and in the United States, Barbosa was nicknamed "The Brazilian Blur", referring to his playing speed. At a height of 1.92 m (6' 33⁄4") tall, Barbosa played at the shooting guard position.
6. Anderson Varejão (b. 1982)
With an HPI of 37.54, Anderson Varejão is the 6th most famous Brazilian Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.
Anderson França Varejão (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈɐ̃deʁsõ ˈfɾɐ̃sɐ vɐɾeˈʒɐ̃w]; born September 28, 1982) is a Brazilian former professional basketball player who is currently a Player Development Consultant and Global Ambassador for the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he spent 13 of his 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). With a career that spanned four professional leagues, Varejão also played for Franca and the Flamengo of the Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB), Barcelona of the EuroLeague and Liga ACB, and has been a regular member of the Brazilian national team, winning a gold medal in 2003 at the Pan American Games.
7. Tiago Splitter (b. 1985)
With an HPI of 35.90, Tiago Splitter is the 7th most famous Brazilian Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.
Tiago Splitter Beims (born January 1, 1985) is a Brazilian basketball coach and former professional player. He is currently the head coach for Paris Basketball. A three-time All-EuroLeague Team selection prior to his NBA career, he became the first Brazilian-born player to win an NBA championship, in 2014, as a member of the San Antonio Spurs.
8. Nenê (b. 1982)
With an HPI of 33.68, Nenê is the 8th most famous Brazilian Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.
Nenê (Portuguese pronunciation: [neˈne]; born Maybyner Rodney Hilário; September 13, 1982) is a Brazilian former professional basketball player. Known previously as Nenê Hilario, he legally changed his name to simply Nenê in 2003.
9. Raul Neto (b. 1992)
With an HPI of 33.46, Raul Neto is the 9th most famous Brazilian Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Raul "Raulzinho" Togni Neto (Brazilian Portuguese: [haˈuw toɲɲi ˈnɛtu]; born 19 May 1992) is a Brazilian professional basketball player for Pinheiros of the NBB. He is also a member of the senior men's Brazilian national basketball team. Neto also holds an Italian passport.
10. Marcelinho Machado (b. 1975)
With an HPI of 33.07, Marcelinho Machado is the 10th most famous Brazilian Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Marcelo "Marcelinho" Magalhães Machado (born 12 April 1975) is a former Brazilian professional basketball player. At a height of 2.01 m (6'7") tall, and a weight of 95 kg (210 lbs.), he played at the shooting guard and small forward positions, with small forward being his main position. He spent most of his career playing with Flamengo in Brazil's top-tier level NBB league, and he was also a long-time member of the senior men's Brazilian national basketball team.
People
Pantheon has 13 people classified as Brazilian basketball players born between 1916 and 1995. Of these 13, 11 (84.62%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Brazilian basketball players include Oscar Schmidt, Hortência Marcari, and Marcelo Huertas. The most famous deceased Brazilian basketball players include Ruy de Freitas, and Fab Melo. As of April 2024, 2 new Brazilian basketball players have been added to Pantheon including Bruno Caboclo, and Lucas Nogueira.
Living Brazilian Basketball Players
Go to all Rankings
Oscar Schmidt
1958 - Present
HPI: 56.28
Hortência Marcari
1959 - Present
HPI: 40.25
Marcelo Huertas
1983 - Present
HPI: 39.85
Leandro Barbosa
1982 - Present
HPI: 39.09
Anderson Varejão
1982 - Present
HPI: 37.54
Tiago Splitter
1985 - Present
HPI: 35.90
Nenê
1982 - Present
HPI: 33.68
Raul Neto
1992 - Present
HPI: 33.46
Marcelinho Machado
1975 - Present
HPI: 33.07
Bruno Caboclo
1995 - Present
HPI: 29.38
Lucas Nogueira
1992 - Present
HPI: 23.11
