Amaury

Brazilian basketball player Amaury Antônio Pasos, simply known as Amaury, won a plethora of championship titles and international medals during the 1950s and 1960s. Amaury began his domestic career with CR Tietê in 1951, staying with the club for a decade before joining EC Sírio in 1962. From 1966 to 1972 he played with Corinthians where he won the Brazilian League championship in 1966 and 1969.

With the Brazilian national team Amaury won the FIBA South American Championship in 1958 before winning the competition on three further occasions (1960, 1961, 1963). Undoubtably his greatest achievement was winning the FIBA World Cup in 1959 where he was also named as MVP of the tournament. He won another World Cup gold in 1963 to go with his silver and bronze medals that he won in 1954 and 1967, respectively. Amaury also enjoyed success at both the Pan American and the Olympic Games. At the former he won bronze at the 1955 edition in Mexico, followed by silver at the 1963 Games in Brazil. A three-time Olympian, he won bronze at the 1960 Roma Games and the 1964 Tokyo Games.

Following his playing career Amaury worked as a coach from 1982 to 1995. He was bestowed with multiple honours for his contributions to the sport including being named as one of FIBA’s 50 Greatest Players in 1991. He was awarded with the Brazil Olympic Prize in 2003 and inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007.