Who is Bruno Caboclo? The Brazilian who went from NBA to Europe | OneFootball

At 31, Bruno Caboclo was decisive in Hapoel Tel Aviv’s win over Real Madrid, scoring 15 points in 13 minutes and hitting five three-pointers. The performance adds to a career that has already included the NBA, titles and the Brazilian national team.

And what has the rest of the player’s career been like? What has he won? Where did he shine? What can he still offer? The starting point is the present, but this is also a look back at the path of one of Brazil’s stars in recent years, who seems to be being reborn on the European stage.

Five three-pointers and a night to remember

Bruno Caboclo needed just 13 minutes to stand out against one of the giants of European basketball. In Hapoel Tel Aviv’s 102-98 EuroLeague win over Real Madrid, the Brazilian scored 15 points, going 5-for-5 from three-point range, in addition to a steal.

The performance carried even more weight because of the context. Hapoel earned only its second win of the EuroLeague season, and it came against Real Madrid, with Caboclo emerging as one of the team’s offensive weapons. The Brazilian finished the game with perfect efficiency from long range.

It is not an isolated number. It is the “snapshot” of a player who, at 31, has found in European basketball a place to once again show the traits that have always been part of his game: size, mobility, the ability to protect the rim and, increasingly, a threat from the perimeter.

The prospect who made it to the NBA

Caboclo’s story began to gain international attention very early. After emerging with Pinheiros, the Brazilian was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 20th pick in the 2014 Draft at age 18. At the time, he was seen as a project with enormous physical and technical potential.

His NBA stint included the Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets. In total, he played 131 regular-season games, according to the available team records, with his most productive individual season coming in Memphis in 2018/19: 34 games, averaging 8.3 points and 4.6 rebounds.

Caboclo also tried to return to the league in 2022. After playing in the Summer League for the Utah Jazz, he signed with the Boston Celtics, but was waived before appearing in an official game for the team.

Back in Brazil, Bruno Caboclo became a leading man

It was away from the NBA that one of the most important chapters of his career arrived. In 2021, Caboclo returned to Brazil to play for São Paulo. And he did not come back just to be another familiar name. He became a leading figure.

In the 2021/22 season, he was named King of the Season in the NBB after averaging 16.8 points and 7.7 rebounds, while also leading the league in blocks with 1.7 per game. He also won the Paulista championship and led São Paulo to the Basketball Champions League Americas title.

In the BCLA final against Biguá, Caboclo scored 29 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had three blocks, a performance that earned him the competition’s MVP award. Throughout the campaign, he averaged 23.9 points and 11.1 rebounds in one of the most important stretches of his career outside the NBA.

Europe, titles and big performances for Brazil

Then came Limoges, Ratiopharm Ulm, Partizan, Hapoel Tel Aviv and Dubai. In Germany, he won the national title with Ulm in 2023. In 2025, he returned to Hapoel and was part of the campaign that ended with the EuroCup title, another major international trophy in his career.

With the Brazilian national team, Caboclo also took on a leading role. At the 2023 World Cup, he averaged 16.4 points and 9.2 rebounds, while at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games he finished with averages of 17.3 points and seven rebounds.

In Paris, Caboclo produced one of the best performances of his career: 33 points and 18 rebounds against Japan, in addition to 30 points against the United States in the quarterfinals. In 2025, he won the AmeriCup with Brazil and made the All-Star Five, averaging 14.8 points and 7.3 rebounds.

At 31, a new version

That is why the 15 points against Real Madrid say more than it may seem. Caboclo has already been an NBA prospect, a rotation player for four franchises, a champion with São Paulo, a continental MVP, a German champion, a EuroCup champion and an important piece for the Brazilian national team.

Now, at Hapoel Tel Aviv, he is writing another chapter. And against Real Madrid, 13 minutes were enough to remind everyone that the player who once entered the NBA as the 20th pick in the Draft still has a lot of basketball left to offer.

*André Freixo, special correspondent for RTI Esporte Agency, reporting directly from Portugal

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.