For some he is known as Wagner Antônio de Oliveira, but it was on the basketball courts in the parks that MAMUTE was born, a São Paulo native from the south section of the city and a former professional player, he has shared with STREETOPIA how he was introduced to basketball.
Amidst the transition from boyhood to his teenage years, his passion was soccer, thanks to his idol and center field Jorge Mendonça, who enchanted him with every move and goal scored, arising his interest and making him take his first steps towards the sport.
Interestingly, soccer would no longer have the same place in his life. All because he started playing basketball at school and later started going to Ibirapuera Park, mainly because he came across actual athletes playing basketball on the park’s court: “I was instantly hooked. When we arrived at the courts, we saw professional players who were off on vacation and wouldn't let us play. I stayed there learning from 10 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon. I used to say, I have to learn this...”
At the age of 17, then young Wagner met through a local from neighborhood he lived in (Mr. Adilson), the basketball coach of the Sírio club - We are talking about Urbano Nascimento, a well-known figure in national basketball for his performance on the court or for his experience leading teams and that gave him the opportunity to start practicing with the team. From that moment on, basketball not only represented the dream of many young athletes coming true, but also a brand-new horizon n front of them.
Even with his days fully busy with his practice routines at Clube Sírio, Wagner was always at the park almost as being his second home, Ibira. Whether for affective reasons or simply to continue practicing all the fundamentals taught by Professor Urbano, he was there, focused and determined in the evolution of his game.
Another extremely important figure in his basketball training process as a player, was the great champion for the Brazilian basketball team Marcel de Souza, his greatest inspiration in the sport and always very well represented on the courts by Wagner 'emulating' his moves and game plays.
The experience acquired at Clube Sírio took him to Clube Hebraica to play as a senior pro-professional in 1989 and the following year, he would finally make his debut as a professional player, where he would represent teams from the countryside of São Paulo, such as Limeira and Piracicaba, passing through Corinthians and Santo André and in the south of Brazil in Joinville, amounting 20 years of professional basketball.
When talking about Mamute, it is impossible not to remember his performance in one of the most-known street basketball teams in the world, And 1, which came to Brazil in 2005 with the intention of making exhibition games and also selecting the best players in the parks in order to form a Brazilian team - The brand became known for the dissemination of videos with game plays that had never been seen before, the famous 'And 1 Mixtape Tour'.
Disbelieving what he saw on the tapes, Mamute seemed to doubt that many of the plays made by the players would only be possible through a lower-than-usual rim, until the opportunity arose for him to take a test on the last day of the selection ran by the brand: “A guy called me at dawn saying he was going to have the last selection day at Vila Lobos Park. I wasn't in the mood, but I had a premonition and took a bus to the park. I got there, it was crowded with guys, tensions raising high. I played for five minutes, 2 - 3 offense plays, to see if the 5 caught the ball...” Mammoth goes on and describes the feeling of having been drafted among several participants: “It stopped everything, and the Americans did not know the name and pointed to the chosen ones. And In the end I was picked, it was awesome ... "
Enchanted by that ‘new world of basketball’, Mamute recalls the feeling of playing at Ibirapuera stadium as an And 1 athlete in one of the games exhibited by the South American tour: “When I saw the world champion Clube Sírio in 79, the fans invaded the courts ... We did the same thing, but we couldn't invade, we brought 12300 people. It gives me goose bumps when I remember that… what a beautiful thing...”
Despite the language barrier, the giant had a good relationship with members of the American team. Shane Buzzy, The Professor, Main Event and Air Up There, are some big names that he remembers making jokes: “At the time of happy hour, I used to drink two ‘gringos’ in order to receive a divine intervention to speak English. If the guys ever understood me, I don't know, I just wanted to fit in...”
Game between And1 USA x And1 Brasil at the Ibiraquera Arena. Courtesy of ABRSP.
Regardless of different realities, Mamute recognizes that the Brazilian team has always been highly respected, and each had their own space. The tour with And 1, opened several doors and was a fundamental experience for a lifetime. He is grateful for whoever chose him and for the family he formed over the years as a result of it.
Mamute recognizes the evolution of the sport in the country and as a gesture of gratitude to the sport and as a way of giving back everything he received, he founded with the help of friends the São Paulo Street Basketball Association (ABRSP), whose main objective is the social promotion and inclusion through actions involving basketball.
Social projects unveiled by ABRSP.
Another initiative conceived by Mamute is the “Desafio dos Parques” (Park Challenges), a tournament that promotes competition between the best basketball teams in the parks around the country. As coach of the Ibirapuera Park team, he participated in Episode 2 of the STREETOPIA festival and shared with us how his experience was:
“Desafio dos Parques” (Park Challenges): Ibirapuera x Bauru and Ibirapuera x Vila Lobos.
For Mamute, basketball represents everything, and his intention is to continue working for the growth of basketball in the country through the projects he has been executing in recent years. Still in this context, he highlights the importance of Eduardo Agra's presence in his life and that how inspiring his story has been: “I had an awesome formation with Agra while I was at the park. He is an Olympic athlete, he played 10 years in the United States. This guy is amazing ... ”
Although he never expected his basketball story to get him this far, it was his devotion and love for this sport that made him who he is today. A true breed of the basketball courts of Ibirapuera Park, this is MAMUTE!
