Five days after scoring 63 points against São José and becoming the highest-scoring player in a Brazilian Championship match, winger Marcelinho received an unexpected visit this Thursday night from Oscar Schimdt, the former record holder with 59 points. Currently a TV commentator, Mão Santa was at the hotel where Flamengo is staying in São Paulo for the games against Pinheiros and Paulistano and interviewed the captain.
The red-and-black team for almost an hour. The topic was last Sunday's excellent performance, but the conversation extended to the Brazilian national team, European basketball, the NBA, and other topics.
Accustomed to being interviewed throughout his 20-plus-year career, Oscar actually excelled in his reporting. After jokingly mocking and complaining about the record-breaking, Mão Santa paid tribute to the achievement and congratulated the red-and-black player on the feat.
"My bosses at Record are not easy, are they? They asked me to come and interview you, the guy who broke my record. You can do it! But records are made to be broken, and I'm very happy that a player who approaches basketball with such professionalism as you did. Scoring 63 points and hitting 16 of 21 three-pointers isn't something that just any player can do. This is a game that will never be forgotten and a performance you'll want to hang on your wall," said Oscar.
Flattered by the compliment and, especially, by the person who gave it, Marcelinho thanked the former Flamengo and Brazilian National Team player for his words but couldn't resist provoking Mão Santa.
"I broke your record, didn't I? But don't worry, I still have another one to break," joked the Flamengo captain, laughing, referring to the 74 points scored by Oscar during a match in the Campeonato Paulista.
Jokes aside, Oscar and Marcelinho were also serious. Between one memory and another, like the season of 55 wins in 60 games with the now-defunct Telemar, in which together, the former as a manager and the latter as a player, they won the undefeated Campeonato Carioca and the 2005 Brazilian Championship; Kobe Bryant's 81-point performance that inspired the red-and-black forward in his performance against São José; or Marcelinho's time in European basketball, the Brazilian National Team was the topic that most excited the scoring duo.
"Playing for the Brazilian national team is always a source of pride, and I think Ruben Magnano's choice couldn't have been more appropriate. He's an experienced, successful coach who has everything it takes to do a great job. We formed a united group at last year's Copa América, and we're experiencing a very special moment with all the players making themselves available to the coach," celebrated Marcelinho.
"This should always be a source of pride. The Brazilian national team is the most important thing in any athlete's career, and you are an example to follow because you have always accepted to defend your country, even if it means playing for less time than you are used to playing for your team. Fortunately, we don't have a war here, but playing for the national team is our war against other countries.
In the end, after so many exchanges of kindness from both sides, Oscar couldn't help but break his record and challenged Marcelinho to a three-point shootout, the specialty of two of the greatest scorers in the history of Brazilian basketball.
Check out the challenge results and photos
The red-and-black team for almost an hour. The topic was last Sunday's excellent performance, but the conversation extended to the Brazilian national team, European basketball, the NBA, and other topics.
Accustomed to being interviewed throughout his 20-plus-year career, Oscar actually excelled in his reporting. After jokingly mocking and complaining about the record-breaking, Mão Santa paid tribute to the achievement and congratulated the red-and-black player on the feat.
"My bosses at Record are not easy, are they? They asked me to come and interview you, the guy who broke my record. You can do it! But records are made to be broken, and I'm very happy that a player who approaches basketball with such professionalism as you did. Scoring 63 points and hitting 16 of 21 three-pointers isn't something that just any player can do. This is a game that will never be forgotten and a performance you'll want to hang on your wall," said Oscar.
Flattered by the compliment and, especially, by the person who gave it, Marcelinho thanked the former Flamengo and Brazilian National Team player for his words but couldn't resist provoking Mão Santa.
"I broke your record, didn't I? But don't worry, I still have another one to break," joked the Flamengo captain, laughing, referring to the 74 points scored by Oscar during a match in the Campeonato Paulista.
Jokes aside, Oscar and Marcelinho were also serious. Between one memory and another, like the season of 55 wins in 60 games with the now-defunct Telemar, in which together, the former as a manager and the latter as a player, they won the undefeated Campeonato Carioca and the 2005 Brazilian Championship; Kobe Bryant's 81-point performance that inspired the red-and-black forward in his performance against São José; or Marcelinho's time in European basketball, the Brazilian National Team was the topic that most excited the scoring duo.
"Playing for the Brazilian national team is always a source of pride, and I think Ruben Magnano's choice couldn't have been more appropriate. He's an experienced, successful coach who has everything it takes to do a great job. We formed a united group at last year's Copa América, and we're experiencing a very special moment with all the players making themselves available to the coach," celebrated Marcelinho.
"This should always be a source of pride. The Brazilian national team is the most important thing in any athlete's career, and you are an example to follow because you have always accepted to defend your country, even if it means playing for less time than you are used to playing for your team. Fortunately, we don't have a war here, but playing for the national team is our war against other countries.
In the end, after so many exchanges of kindness from both sides, Oscar couldn't help but break his record and challenged Marcelinho to a three-point shootout, the specialty of two of the greatest scorers in the history of Brazilian basketball.
Check out the challenge results and photos