LILLE (France) - Spain legend Rudy Fernandez etched his name into the annals of Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament history on the opening day of the 2024 Paris Games by becoming the first men's player to appear in six Olympics.
History was made when Fernandez was subbed in for Xabi Lopez-Arostegui with 5:18 minutes left in the first quarter of Spain's opener against Australia at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille. The 39-year-old Fernandez surpassed Teofilo Cruz of Puerto Rico, Andrew Gaze of Australia, fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Navarro, Brazilian legend Oscar Schmidt and Argentina's Luis Scola - the other five greats having also played in five Olympics.
Diana Taurasi for USA will be the first female basketball player competiting in six Olympics this summer.
Most appearances all-time at the Olympics
*Active players
Fernandez debuted in the Olympics back in Athens 2004 as a 19-year-old, averaging 5.1 points per game. He would go on to play at Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
Fernandez has long left his mark on the Spanish national team.
He twice became world champion with "La Roja" in 2006 and 2019; claimed two Olympic silver medals (2008 and 2012) and one Olympic bronze (2016); and four times hoisted the FIBA EuroBasket crown (2009, 2011, 2015, and 2022).
Fernandez will be retiring from the national team after Paris but he could get company in the unofficial "Six Olympics Club" in 2028 in Los Angeles. While Fernandez played his first game of his sixth Olympics, the game also featured the Australian duo of Patty Mills and Joe Ingles both appearing in their fifth Olympics. Mills will turn 36 one day after the Gold Medal Game while Ingles will celebrate his 38th birthday on October 2.
By appearing in the game, Fernandez also moved into sole possession of fourth place of Olympics games played with his 35th contest. He broke the tie of 34 games with fellow Spaniards Juan Carlos Navarro and Pau Gasol as well as Luis Scola of Argentina.
Next up is Oscar Schmidt's 38 games, which Fernandez would match if Spain reach the Quarter-Finals. Fernandez can pull even Andrew Gaze's all-time record of 40 games if Spain play in the Gold Medal Game or Bronze Medal Game.
Most games played all-time at the Olympics
Fernandez played 17 minutes and collected 1 assist and 1 steals in the game against Australia. The steal allowed Fernandez to climb the all-time steals leaderboard into a tie for third place with Manu Ginobili of Argentina.
Most steals made all-time at the Olympics
*Active players
The steal was introduced as a statistic for the Olympics in 1996.
FIBA