Willkommen » Olympic teams for Brazil from 1980-1996. He was drafte

ROME -- Enzo Maiorca, a legend in free diving, died on Sunday in his native Sicily. He was 85.Giancarlo Garozzo, mayor of Syracuse in Sicily, said Maiorca died there but didnt cite cause of death.Maiorcas friendly rivalry with diver Jacques Mayol inspired much of a 1988 film, The Big Blue, directed by Luc Besson. The two divers competed against each other starting in 1966, taking turns as the record holder for free diving.When they reached 249 feet (about 73 meters) in 1970, the International Federation ruled the depths too dangerous and refused to accept further records.Italian media, who had dubbed Maiorca the lord of the abysses, reported that when Maiorca was 57 he dove to a depth of 101 meters (373 feet).After quitting competitive diving, an Italian navy statement says, Maiorca dedicated himself to protecting the marine environment.Maiorca has said he abandoned spear fishing after he felt the beating heart of a grouper he had speared and was trying to capture.I tried my best but the fish was simply fighting to survive, DIVER magazine quoted him as saying in 2014.Maiorca was quoted as saying he did scuba diving into his 80s, but that his free-diving days were behind him.The Sicilian newspaper Il Giornale di Sicilia said Maiorca learned to swim at age 4 but quoted him as saying he had a great fear of the sea.Fake Jerseys 2020 .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. Wholesale Authentic Jerseys .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. http://www.jerseyscheapcustom.com/ . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. Custom Jerseys China .Y. - General manager Billy King says the Brooklyn Nets are looking to add a big man and confirmed the team worked out centre Jason Collins, who would become the first openly gay active NBA player if signed. Wholesale Custom Jerseys . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams.RIO DE JANEIRO -- Thats him, the man who changed international basketball. Hes the one who single-handedly beat the United States on its own soil nearly 30 years ago, stoking the ambers that led to the Dream Team.The greatest scorer in the history of the game, by a bunch, hes perhaps the best player to never to slip on an NBA jersey.Except for his size, Oscar Schmidt could walk down a city street in the U.S. unnoticed.Not in Brazil.As Schmidt ambles through the corridors of Carioca Arena, his weakened knees preventing him from moving with the grace he once showed on the floor, his countrymen treat him with respect and reverence. Police officers ask if they can have their picture taken with him, young volunteers squeeze in close for selfies and everyone he encounters shows him love. They all want to touch the man dubbed Mao Santo in Portuguese, The Holy Hand.Schmidt accepts it all and happily obliges every request with a smile, and often with a hearty laugh.These Olympics are personal to the Brazilian basketball icon. These games are on his court.I have had a great life, he said before doing TV commentary for Brazils double-overtime loss to Argentina on Saturday.He was a mystery, something of an urban legend until 1987, when during an unforgettable game in Indiana, the heartland of American hoops, Schmidt scored 46 points in the final of the Pan American Games to stun the Americans. It ended a 34-game winning streak for the U.S., its first loss in international competition at home.Schmidt, a cocky shooters shooter with remarkable range and little interest in playing defense, scored 35 points in the second half as Brazil overcame a 14-point halftime deficit to stun the U.S. team, which included college stars David Robinson, Danny Manning and coached by Denny Crum.When the game ended, Schmidt stood under one basket and wept with joy as his teammates celebrated. They had done the unimaginable.That game was the best part of my life because we proved to the whole world that it was possible to beat them, the 58-year-old Schmidt said. And we were afraid to lose by 50.At that time, there had been discussion inside the U.S. basketball program about possibly using professionals in upcoming Olympics. And when the Americans were beaten by the Soviet Union the following year at the Seoul Games and finished with a bronze, the U.S. decided it was time to bring in the big boys.Four years later, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird and their All-Star tteammates pummeled the competition in Barcelona while inspiring the rest of the world to shoot higher.ddddddddddddSchmidt, who scored 24 against that squad, takes personal satisfaction for his role in basketballs global growth.Yeah, of course I do, he said, his voice rising with pride. When we beat them, everybody saw it and said, if they can win, we can win. So they put the Dream Team together.The Americans exacted revenge on Schmidt in Spain, pounding Brazil 127-83 and winning by an average of 43.8 points per game on their way to a gold medal.That was the best team Ive ever seen play, said Schmidt, one of the Olympic flag bearers in the opening ceremony. They were something. The only players I think could make that team are Kobe, Shaquille and LeBron.And maybe Schmidt, who rejected overtures by NBA teams to play in Europe and on five Olympic teams for Brazil from 1980-1996. He was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in 1984, but played in Italy, where he routinely scored 50 in a game.When he got into a zone, with his size at 6-8 and his mentality, once he got going, he was one of the toughest guys you would ever want to go up against, said former Australian Olympian Andrew Gaze, who relishes the chance to catch up with his good friend. I think if he came through in a later generation, he would have been very successful in the NBA. But back when he was at his best, there were very few international players. The NBA wasnt really considering international players the way they are now.Schmidt helped open the door for non-U.S. players, and there were 100 on NBA rosters to start last season. And the American stars can thank the Hall of Famer, too, for getting them inside the five Olympic rings.Unofficially credited with scoring over 49,000 career points -- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 38,387 -- Schmidt is the Olympic leader with 1,093, nearly 800 more than Carmelo Anthony, who became Team USAs career leader during these games.Schmidt chuckled when reminded of the disparity before turning serious.But hes going to win three times gold medals. I would change everything, every point -- not that Pan American Games -- but the rest for a medal in the Olympics, said Schmidt, who finished fifth three times. We had two good chances, not to get a medal, but a chance to win the Olympics. We came very close, but life is like that. You cant have everything. ' ' '