Ubiratan Pereira
(1944-2002)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2010
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Position: PF/C
Height: 6’6″
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Ubiratan Pereira was one of the top players on the Brazilian National Team during the 1960s and 1970s. Nicknamed “The King,” Pereira is widely regarded as the greatest Brazilian center of all time. During his time with the National Team from 1961-1979, Brazil won eight medals in the Olympics, FIBA World Championships, and the Pan American Games. Pereira won a number of other titles during his basketball career. He was known as a great defensive player, rebounder, and athlete. Pereira was also a good shot blocker and the left-hander used both a traditional hook shot and a jump hook in his arsenal. Ubiratan was also a leader who was instrumental in guiding his teams to their many successes at the international, national, and club levels.
Awards and Honors
- Pereira played in three Olympic Games, helping Brazil to win the bronze medal in the 1964 Olympics in Japan.
- In the World Championships, Ubiratan and Brazil won a gold medal in 1963 in Brazil, a silver medal in 1970 in Yugoslavia, a bronze medal in 1967 in Uruguay, and a bronze medal in 1978 in the Philippines.
- In the Pan American Games, Pereira won a silver medal in Brazil in 1963, a bronze medal in Mexico in 1975, and a bronze medal in Puerto Rico in 1979.
- Ubiratan’s teams won the Brazilian League Championship five times in 1965, 1966, 1969, 1977, and 1980.
- Pereira also won four South American basketball titles and eleven championships in the Sao Paulo League in Brazil.
- In 2009, Pereira was enshrined in the FIBA Hall of Fame. He was also named one of FIBA’s 50 Greatest Players in 1991.
Points of Interest
- Ubiratan played at a time when soccer was the dominant sport in Brazil and basketball went largely unnoticed. Still, Pereira would become a legendary player in his home country.
- In 1968, Ubiratan declined an opportunity to play with the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA because he wanted to continue playing for the Brazilian National Team.
- In 1970, Pereira became the first Brazilian player to play professional basketball in Europe.
- Pereira (2010) and Oscar Schmidt (2013) are the only two Brazilian players to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
- Pereira was 58 years old when he passed away in 2002. His sons represented him when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame eight years later.