Brazil is far more known for what they do on the soccer field than on the basketball court, but recent history has a lot of NBA fans watching and paying attention.

There are numerous Brazilian-born players flourishing in the NBA today.

One of the most successful and most noticeable is San Antonio Spurs center Tiago Splitter. The 29-year-old out of Joinville has made quite the name for himself. Splitter stands 6-foot-11, 232 pounds, and he draws a lot of similar comparisons to Dikembe Mutombo. Despite being a center, Splitter shoots an impressive 67.9 percent from the free throw line, and he is a terrific passer for a big man.

Last season Splitter helped the Spurs win the 2014 NBA Championship over LeBron James and the Miami Heat. In the process, Splitter became the first ever Brazilian-born player to win the NBA Championship.

Splitter doesn't make the most exciting plays or take the most shots, so he is regarding as one of the most underrated players in the game today. Splitter has guided the Brazilian National Team to two FIBA Americas Championships, 2005 and 2009.

Over in the Eastern Conference, Anderson Varejao continues to play great basketball for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Varejao has played his entire 11-year career for the Cavaliers. The former first round pick has grabbed more than 4,300 rebounds in his career, and he's trying to help Cleveland win their first professional championship since 1964.

This season Varejao has played great with Kevin Love averaging a combined 17 rebounds per game. Varejao isn't an elite scorer, but his defense is just what the Cavaliers need to compete for a championship.

Arguably the greatest Brazilian-born NBA player ever, Nene, is still going strong for the Washington Wizards. Nene has the most career blocks, points scored and rebounds for any NBA player born in Brazil.

The 32-year-old power forward from Sao Carlos is averaging double digit points scored per game for the seventh consecutive season. In 2005 Nene played just one game because of a torn ACL, but he refused to give up. Since then Nene has been one of the most intimidating power forwards in the game with his interior slam dunks and blocks. Nene and the Wizards currently lead the Southeast division with a 17-6 record.

And then of course, there's Leandro Barbosa, the "Brazilian Blur."

Last season Barbosa fractured his shooting hand, and played in just 20 games. So far this season with the Golden State Warriors, Barbosa is shooting 46 percent from the field. Barbosa and the Warriors presently have the best record in the NBA, 21-2. Barbosa has the most career assists by a Brazilian-born player in NBA history with 1,534.

With the 2014 FIFA World Cup over and complete, South American's largest country will be the world's focal point once again. The 2016 Summer Olympics will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. What a great way to show off the nations basketball talents, at the oldest sporting competition in the world.

Brazils' best finish at basketball at the Olympics came in 1996 when they won the silver medal.

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