Flamengo continues to prepare strongly for the upcoming challenges in the New Basketball Brazil 10. An important part of José Neto's rotation and an added force in defense, Henrique Pilar joined the squad in the second half of 2017 and is one of the newcomers fighting for the first title with the red-black Sacred Mantle.

Pilar has already played in 27 NBB matches. Averaging 7.9 minutes on the court, he boasts strong defensive performance and often hits big three-pointers that bring the stadium to life. In the match against Pinheiros at Arena Carioca 1, still in the first round, the power forward came on strong and had his name chanted by the nation.

"The moment everyone wants has arrived, the most difficult moment, which is the playoffs. Flamengo has a history of many titles. This is my first year here and I hope to be champion at the very least. I think this happens every day, one game after another. There's no point in thinking about the title without winning the next match, so I expect us to be focused and strong for the first match we face," said the number 5.

With determination and grit, Pilar and the red-and-black squad enter the playoffs knowing they'll need focus and a lot of fighting to win their sixth NBB title. Under the supervision of the coaching staff, the "Mais Querido" (the most beloved team) enters the final stretch of preparation for their debut in the decisive stage of the competition, awaiting only the determination of their quarterfinal opponent.

The basketball teams of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo receive funding from their sponsors – thinkseg, Estácio, AmBev, Rede D'or, IRB Brasil RE, CSN, Brasil Plural, and EY – via the Federal Incentive Law/Ministry of Sports (IR) and the State Incentive Law/Rio de Janeiro State Secretariat of Sports, Recreation, and Youth (Seelje), in addition to support from the Brazilian Club Committee (CBC) resulting from the decentralization of resources from the Pelé Law. The Anjo da Guarda Rubro-Negro Project, a personal tax transfer, benefits all Olympic sports of the Most Beloved.