Corinthians playmaker marks milestone in Novo Basquete Brasil

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Central do Timão

·12. Februar 2026

Corinthians playmaker marks milestone in Novo Basquete Brasil

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

On the night of last Monday (9), Corinthians defeated Unifacisa 81 to 75, in a match valid for the 26th game of the Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB), at the Wlamir Marques Gymnasium, located in Parque São Jorge. The result marked the team's fourth consecutive win in the national tournament – sixth place with 18 wins and eight losses – 44 points.

The match was special for point guard Elinho, one of Corinthians' pillars, who has been with the club since August 2023. The player reached 500 games in the Novo Basquete Brasil, becoming only the 16th athlete to reach such a milestone in the 18 editions of the tournament's history. Before Monday's match, he had totaled 2,295 assists, the top playmaker in the tournament's history, as well as 1,735 rebounds.

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Photo: Beto Miler/Agência Corinthians

In an interview with the official Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB) website, he celebrated the milestone and highlighted his consistency in reaching such an impressive mark: “Wow, it means a lot. Back then, I never imagined reaching 500 games with the career I’m building, with my story. It's unreal, for me,” he began. Before wearing the Corinthians jersey, he played for the following teams in the tournament: Paulistano, KTO Minas, Mogi Basquete, Sesi Franca, and São Paulo.

“It weighs a lot. This has always been a characteristic of mine, since the youth categories, this game reading. My style has always been very defined, everyone knows what my style is. That helps a lot, because of the reading, the shortcuts, knowing my teammates well, which is also something I try to know—what each one likes to do, the shot each guy likes. That really helps to stay competitive, to stay at a high level,” he continued.

At 36 years old, Elinho has been with Corinthians for almost three years. In total, he has played 158 games, with 84 wins and 54 losses. Overall, he has 1,527 points, 60 rebounds, and 1,318 assists. The experienced athlete analyzed the evolution of the NBB over the past few years. The current main player for Timão in basketball also spoke about his leadership spirit and mentioned that his ‘turning point’ in his career happened when he suffered a serious knee injury while playing for Mogi Basquete.

“The League has evolved in everything. We, as athletes, have evolved a lot. The professional mentality has evolved. The League has improved a lot of things. Broadcasts, the court, schedules, a lot has been standardized, the referees. If you look back at the first NBB, the second NBB, everyone can see the transformation basketball has undergone. At the national level, how much basketball has grown with the NBB has changed a lot of people’s lives.”

“It has always been a characteristic of mine, this leadership, let's say, to demand, to talk a lot. I’ve always had this trait since the youth teams. But I think a switch that I can say changed in my career was after the injury in 2015. I had a torn cruciate ligament in my knee. After that, I managed to reach a new level, let’s say,” he continued.

Finally, he was asked about the legacy he can leave to younger athletes: “What I value a lot here, in any team I’ve played for, is trying to help the younger ones, help as many people as I can on the roster. Advice? The advice I can give is for everyone to dedicate themselves to the fullest, to live this. I live basketball 100%, it’s my life. My life’s schedule revolves around the team, training. If there’s training, the next day I won’t do anything, I’ll rest. I’ll eat right, everything I do is for me.”

“That’s good advice for the kids, you have to dedicate yourself 100%. It’s about loving what you do. There are those days when you don’t want to go, when you’re not 100%, but on those days, that’s when you make the biggest difference by giving your all. Maybe it’s not your maximum every day, but if you’re at 20%, and you give your maximum 20%, I think you evolve, you come out better, the day is fulfilled,” he concluded.

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