Carlos Morais is arguably one of the best shooting guards on the continent and one of the most open athletes when it came to passing down information to younger players. During the 2022 BAL final games in Kigali, the Angolan international addressed the media and highlighted the secret behind his success that enabled him to stay at the forefront of top African Basketball players for years.
Carlos Edilson Alcântara Morais, the prolific and iconic African Basketball player, played for Petro de Luanda for much of his career, aside from a 3 years spell in Portugal and Italy. With Petro, he finished third in BAL’s inaugural season and runners up in the second edition, the title claimed in 2006 as Africa Clubs Championship.
In the Angolan National team, He won the Afrobasket tournament 4 times (2005, 2007, 2009, and 2013), and Carlos is one of the few BAL players with Olympic experience as he represented the Parancas Negras in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.
Following his stellar performance in 2013 AfroBasket where he led his country to the title and was named MVP, He was invited to Toronto Raptors by the franchise general manager, Masai Ujiri to join the team in the preseason and fight for a spot in the Raptors 15 player roster. He played 3 games in pre-season but he was later waived by Dwane Casey.
He was on the verge of making history not only to become the first Angolan to play in the NBA but also the second African Basketball player to have ever entered the NBA from the African League.
With this fantastic journey, there is no doubt that the Angolan Sharp-shooting guard is in the right position to inspire the young generation on how they can achieve their dream goals.
Speaking to the Media, Carlos Morais, who has been in Basketball for over 15 years, unveiled the secret behind his consistency as well as how he stayed motivated for almost two decades
Carlos Morais said, “I just make sure that I care about my body in the right way. I’m still hungry. . . I believe I’m still young even though am 36 years old …you know, like every day I come to practice or to play a game as I try to stay as motivated as I was on the first day. That’s my mentality. That’s why I wake up every morning trying to get better.”
When asked the best piece of advice he would give the young basketball players, his answer was short and sweet: “Stay hungry and believe in your dreams”. however, he shared what he went through during his basketball career, especially in the beginning.
He said, “If I have to give advice to any young player, I would just tell him/her to stay hungry and believe in his/her dreams,” Said, Carlos Morais
He added “When I started, not everybody believed that I was going to reach this level in my career. You know… I had been told that I choose the wrong sport. I had been told that I should have gone to soccer, volleyball maybe…”
“You know I just keep going as I believe in my dreams that’s why I’m here and I think I’m one of the most known players in Africa. So, If I have to give advice to any young player, I’d just say; stay hungry and believe in your dreams. Everything is possible as long as you work for it,” Carlos Morais continued.
Carlos Morais will be 20 years in the game next year. During the 2022 BAL, Morais and Petro de Luanda finished runners up. He averaged 13.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.3 steals, earning a spot on the All-BAL First Team.
In his 19 years career, Carlos is 8 times Angolan League Champion, 4 times Afrobasket Champions, Portuguese league champion, and Africa Clubs Champion. He won Afrobasket MVP, African Club Championship MVP, Portuguese Cup MVP, and BAI Basket top scorer awards.
