SAO PAULO (Brazil) - International basketball has lost one of its great legends with FIBA Hall of Fame forward Wlamir Marques having passed away.
Nicknamed the Flying Saucer and also the Blond Devil, Marques died in a Sao Paulo hospital. He was 87.
The MVP of the FIBA Basketball World Cup when Brazil hosted the fourth edition in 1963, this basketball icon also won the World Cup in 1959 and lost in the World Cup final two more times (1954 and 1970).
He is the most decorated player in FIBA’s flagship event, tied with Kresimir Cosic from Yugoslavia.
Wlamir Marques also brought home two bronze medals at the Olympics in 1960 and 1964. At the 1964 Games, he served as Brazil’s flag bearer.
Marcelo Sousa, the President of the Brazilian Basketball Confederation, paid tribute to the great.
"Wlamir was one of the greatest ever to bounce an orange ball," he said. "A genius. Incredible on the court. He floated. He helped make Brazil a basketball powerhouse. Hall of Famer.
A genious. Incredible on the court
"A hero. And off the court, he was curiously simple. A witty sense of humor. And also a genius. A friend and critic when necessary. He is already sorely missed by our sport. My condolences to his family. The man is gone, but the legend remains."
He figures prominently in The History of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Documentary (above).
Marques played a huge role in making basketball a popular sport in Brazil and the whole of South America with his heroics for the national team, also winning four South American titles between 1958 and 1963. Additionally, he won the Pan American Championships.
Awarded the Heims Trophy for Best Athlete in South America in 1961, he was also given the Medal of Sports Merit.
Much of his fame was also do to his performances for Sao Vicente Tumiaru (1951-1953), Clube de Regatas Piracicaba (1953-1954), XV de Novembro (1955-1962), S.C. Corinthians Paulista (1962-1972) and Tenis Clube de Campinas (1972-1973).
FIBA