Brazil has produced many talents in the world of basketball. One such talent is the 23-year-old power forward, Maozinha Pereira. Before getting his name on the national team’s roster, he had an impressive journey in the Brazilian leagues and a few notable performances in the NBA during his brief stint with the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2023-24 season.

Even though his run in the Olympics has not been that good, he had a few moments in the game where he turned some heads. After a sloppy performance in the group stage, the Brazilian has somehow secured a spot in the knockout stage. With just three wins away from winning the gold medal, let’s find more about Brazil’s 6’8 bouncy forward who posterized Rudy Gobert in the Paris Olympics 2024.

Who is Maozinha Pereira?

Early Career

João Marcello Cardoso Pereira, also known as Maozinha Pereira, was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 28, 2000. Being the son of a popular basketball player in Brazil, Maozinha fell in love with the game from a young age. The young forward kicked off his professional basketball career by playing for Clube Pinheiros of a professional Brazilian basketball league (Nova Basquete Brasil) in 2019. By averaging over 13 points and 6 rebounds per game, Pereira was a key player for the Pinheiros. After playing in the Brazilian league for 3 years for a couple of other teams, he soon emerged as the leading rebounder in the league with over 9 rebounds per game in 2022.

Even though Pereira displayed a notable performance in the NBB over the years, he still went undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft. But the Brazilian was not ready to give up on his basketball dreams. After going undrafted, he was signed by the Corinthians of the NBB the same year. After an decent performance with the Corinthians, he took his talents to the Capitanes in the NBA G league. With over 8 points and 7 rebounds per game, Pereira continued his impressive performance in the league. In addition to that, he came third in the NBA G -League dunk contest. With all these achievements in his bag, the NBA soon came calling.

Short NBA career

The Memphis Grizzlies signed a 10-day contract with the 23-year-old in March 2024. By averaging almost 7 points and over 5 rebounds in just seven games with the Grizzlies, Pereira had a decent run in the NBA. The young forward achieved a double-double against the Philadelphia 76ers with over 10 points and 10 rebounds in the game. Also, he was missing just one rebound against the Pistons from nailing his second double-double in the NBA.

Sadly, this performance could not secure Pereira a long-time contract in the NBA and is now a free agent. Currently, the 6’8 forward is in Paris trying to help his team win a medal in the Olympics 2024. But, on the bright side, the Olympics gives him a chance to prove his skills again and hopefully get another contract in the NBA.

International Career

Even though Maozinha made notable performances in the professional leagues, he has failed to do that in the Olympics so far. Other than scoring 4 points and securing 3 rebounds against France, the young buck has not brought much to the table. Sure, he posterized Rudy Gobert with an amazing dunk and got a lot of attention for that, but that only counts as 2 points at the end of the day.

Next up the Brazilians are going against the might Team USA in a do or die quarter final game. The Brazilian team has to bring their full force to at least put up a decent game. Coming to Pereira, he needs to be on his A-game against USA if he wants his country to advance to the semifinals.

In addition to that, this is another great opportunity for him to showcase his talent in the world and the NBA, and if he is able to put on his best game, he might end up with a medal and an NBA contract by the end of the year. With time running out, will Pereira be able to rise to the task? What are your thoughts on him?

And before you go, do check out this latest video featuring BG12 x Silas Demary Jr.