At 34, Carlos Alexandre Rodrigues do Nascimento, known as Olivinha, is an athlete accustomed to decisive moments. A symbol of the red-and-black community, the player is one of the nation's most acclaimed names and a great representative of the fans on the court. 

This season, Mr. Double-Double scored in double figures in two attributes in five matches, all of which ended in Flamengo victories. Against Campo Mourão, in the second round of the first half of the season, the number 16 scored 14 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Facing Minas, he had 10 points and 10 rebounds, and in a great game against Bauru, the power forward had 11 points and 11 rebounds, once again leading to a FlaBasquete victory. Olivinha's season scoring record came against Basquete Cearense, when he scored 19 points and added 12 rebounds. Capping off the Flamengo idol's streak was his last double-double against Franca, with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Another statistic that highlights Olivinha's importance to the Mais Querido's performance in the NBB is his record of at least 10 points in 14 games during the season. With an overall average of 8,8 points, 6,4 rebounds, and 0,9 assists per game, he finished the first half of the competition with an efficiency rating of 11.6. Leading the red-and-black team, the number 16 has an average free throw shooting rate of 80%. 

This was a different season. A special season. Olivinha broke many personal records, further enhancing the Mais Querido's trajectory. In the match against Vitória, he reached the 5000-point mark in the Novo Basquete Brasil, one of the rarest feats in Brazilian basketball. Against Pinheiros, in the first round, the power forward's 200th NBB appearance wearing the Manto Sagrado. 

Olivinha has the face of victory. He breathes and lives Flamengo like few others. And in these playoffs, once again, he's trying to write his name into the history of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo.

"Expectations are high. We're now having time to train and finalize the final details. We've already watched the series between Vitória and Minas and are studying the team that might play against us. We're going to work hard in this first series to try to come away with a victory and advance to the next stage," he said.

FlaBasquete's first opponent comes from the clash between Vitória and Minas, next Thursday (12). The winner will face Rubro-Negro in the quarterfinals.

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.