Bira Maciel

Ubiratan "Bira" Pereira Maciel, commonly known as Bira Maciel, or simply Bira, was a professional basketball player from Brazil. He was born in São Paulo, Brazil. At a height of tall, he played at the center position. He is often regarded as the best Brazilian center of all time. He was nicknamed "O Rei".

Club career

Maciel won the top-tier level club league in Brazil, the Brazilian Basketball Championship, 5 times, in the years 1965, 1966, 1969, 1977, and 1981.

National team career

With the senior Brazilian national [basketball team], Maciel won a total of 8 medals at the Summer Olympic Games, FIBA World Cup, and Basketball at the [Pan American Games|Pan American Games].
Ubiratan Pereira Maciel played at 5 FIBA World Cups:. He totaled 41 games played and 474 points scored during those competitions, and he won a gold medal at the 1963 [FIBA World Championship|1963 tournament] in Brazil.

Post-playing career

Maciel was named one of FIBA's [50 Greatest Players (1991)|FIBA's 50 Greatest Players] in 1991. He was awarded the FIBA Order of Merit in 1994. In 2009, he was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame, as a player. On April 5, 2010, Maciel was announced as a member of the 2010 induction class of the Naismith Memorial [Basketball Hall of Fame], as a player, and was formally inducted on August 13.