Author: Monojit Mandal
In an unexpected turn of events, Brazil will not be represented in the NBA for the first time in 22 years in the upcoming 2023/24 season. This unusual break in the streak of Brazilian talent in the NBA has piqued the interest of basketball fans around the world.
The long-standing trend of having Brazilian players in the NBA began with Nenê Hilário, who was picked seventh by the New York Knicks in the 2002 NBA draft. That night, however, he was quickly transferred to the Denver Nuggets. Nenê debuted for the Nuggets as a reserve, at the time under the name Hilário, but it didn’t take him long to win the starting job after just 24 games. He was an important member of the Nuggets until the 2008/09 season, when he contributed considerably with an incredible stat line of 14.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and a fantastic shooting percentage of 60.4%, which helped the club reach the conference finals.
Despite his efforts, Nenê ended up being transferred to the Washington Wizards as part of the team’s roster change in the 2011/12 season, where he played for four seasons, three of which he was a starter. At 34, he joined the Houston Rockets, where he lasted four more seasons, but was hampered by illness, most notably a hip problem that prevented him from playing the entire 2019/20 season.
While Nenê’s NBA career was coming to an end, other Brazilian players entered the spotlight. Cristiano Felcio played for the Chicago Bulls, Raul Neto for the Philadelphia 76ers and Bruno Caboclo for the Houston Rockets. In addition, Didi Louzada made his NBA debut and Anderson Varejo returned from retirement to play five games for the Cleveland Cavaliers after a two-year break.
Next season, however, there will be a surprising absence of Brazilian players in the NBA, as Gui Santos is expected to continue his journey in the G-League, thus ending the streak that began with Nenê’s selection in the 2002 NBA draft. This is a decisive moment in the history of Brazilian basketball, with fans eagerly awaiting the development of the country’s new talents in the coming years.