Hortencia Marcari
(Born 1959)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2005
Card Shown:
NBA Hall of Fame Sketch Card
by David Lee
Position: G
Height: 5’8″
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Hortencia de Fatima Marcari, “The Queen,” was one of the top women’s basketball players of her time. She was a tremendous scorer and moved well without the ball. Hortencia was so good that opposing teams had to construct their defensive game plans around stopping her. She led her Brazilian teams to gold medals in the Pan American Games and the World Championships and to a silver medal in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Awards and Honors
- Hortencia led Brazil to medals in three different Pan American Games, including the gold medal in 1991 over the USA. The win stopped a 42-game winning streak by the USA women’s team in major world competition.
- Marcari led Brazil to the gold medal at the World Championships in 1994 where she averaged more than 27 points per game.
- Hortencia retired after the 1994 World Championships but came out of retirement in 1996 to help Brazil to the silver medal in the Olympic Games. It was the first Olympic medal for Brazilian women’s basketball.
- She led Brazil to four South American Championships during her career.
- Marcari was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002 and into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007.
Points of Interest
- Hortencia was 15 years old when she was added to Brazil’s National Team roster.
- She is known in Brazil by her first name just as her fellow Brazilians Paula, Pele, and Oscar are also known by only one name.
- Hortencia and Paula (Maria Paula da Silva) formed one of the most powerful backcourts in women’s basketball history. Since they were so popular and so talented Hortencia and Paula were not allowed to play together in the Sao Paulo state league in Brazil.
- On August 5, 2016 Hortencia was the second to last torch bearer in the Olympic torch relay in Brazil. The torch was passed to her by Gustavo Kuerten (former No. 1 tennis player in the world) and then she passed it on to Vanderlei de Lima (Olympic marathon runner) who lit the Olympic cauldron.