Former Houston Rockets Veteran Named Brazil's Best Hooper

Born in São Carlos, Brazil, Nene is one of 19 players to come from Brazil and log NBA minutes, putting him as one of the top players to ever come from his homeland.

In a recent article by HoopsHype's Frank Urbina, former Houston Rocket Nene took home the honor as the best player to ever come out of Brazil, thanks to his longevity and the hefty checks he collected along the way.

"We're going with Nenê here, as no Brazilian player fared better competing against the best of the best. The highest-paid South American player in NBA history. Nenê had a long 17-year career as a solid center in the league."

After being drafted by the New York Knicks, Nene was put into a trade package to Denver and found himself beginning his rookie season with Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets. The big man would make the All-Rookie 1st Team, proving to be a staple in Denver for nine and a half seasons.

Anthony recently admitted in an interview that he and Nene were almost traded to the Los Angeles Lakers at one point to play alongside Hall of Fame guard Kobe Bryant, but a deal was never done, leaving it to be one of the biggest "what ifs" today.

"The deal was made with the Lakers. It was planned that Nene and I would go in exchange for Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum. That deal was a done deal. I never thought about New York. But then, when they rejected that deal, I thought: ‘Aha, you don’t want me in the West."

The two teammates found themselves together again, this time on the 2018 Houston Rockets squad that finished fourth in the West and made one of their final playoff pushes before a six-year drought.

Following a three-year run in Houston, Nene was traded to the Atlanta Hawks, but never logged any minutes for the team. After several injuries over his lengthy 17-year career in the league, he eventually retired from the NBA after being waived by Atlanta in 2020.

Although the Brazilian-born bully never reached an All-Star or All-NBA honor, fans from every franchise he logged minutes for have shown their appreciation for Nene even as the years go by.

In his FIBA career for Brazil he won just one silver medal, in the 2001 AmeriCup.