LILLE (France) - There are towers of power that blocks shots and dunk in anger, and also lightning quick guards that are small in stature but dominate games.
Some players are older and wiser, and others are young and daring.
You'll see them all at the Olympic contests being played on the Pierre Mauroy Stadium hardwood.
Youngest players at the Olympics
If anyone ever wondered whether some players are too young for a competitive event like the Summer Games, the answer is no. South Sudan center Khaman Maluach is the youngest player at this Olympics at 17, and also one of the most promising players in the game. There are starlets that can already be viewed as some of the best in the sport. Victor Wembanyama of France, Australians Dyson Daniels and Josh Giddey, Japan's Yuki Kawamura and Brazil's Gui Santos all make this list!
Rank | Name | Team | Birthdate |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Khaman Maluach | South Sudan | September 14, 2006 |
2 | Bilal Coulibaly | France | July 26, 2004 |
3 | Akira Jacobs | Japan | April 13, 2004 |
4 | Victor Wembanyama | France | January 4, 2004 |
5 | Nikola Jovic | Serbia | June 8, 2003 |
6 | Dyson Daniels | Australia | March 17, 2003 |
7 | Josh Giddey | Australia | October 10, 2002 |
8 | South Sudan | JT Thor | August 26, 2002 |
9 | France | Matthew Strazel | August 5, 2002 |
10 | Brazil | Gui Santos | June 22, 2002 |
Oldest players at the Olympics
National teams need players that have been in the battles before, those that have lived the good times and the bad. Often they are the elder statesmen on the team. Wisdom counts in the locker room and on the court. Brazil's Marcelinho Huertas, USA's LeBron James and the first player to appear in six Olympics, Spain's Rudy Fernandez, are the three oldest players at the Summer Games, and they are also three of the best! Other prominent players among the oldest are France's Nando De Colo and Nic Batum, Australia's Joe Ingles and Patty Mills and USA's Stephen Curry and their legendary scoring machine, Kevin Durant.
Rank | Team | Name | Birthday |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brazil | Marcelinho Huertas | May 25, 1983 |
2 | USA | LeBron James | December 30, 1984 |
3 | Spain | Rudy Fernandez | December 30, 1985 |
4 | France | Nando De Colo | April 4, 1987 |
5 | Australia | Joe Ingles | October 2, 1987 |
6 | Spain | Sergio Llull | November 15, 1987 |
7 | USA | Stephen Curry | March 14, 1988 |
8 | Australia | Patty Mills | August 11, 1988 |
9 | USA | Kevin Durant | September 29, 1988 |
10 | France | Nic Batum | December 14, 1988 |
Tallest Players at the Olympics
The skyscrapers at the Games, players that will get their share of blocked shots, rebounds and dunks, include Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert of France and South Sudan's towering pivot, Khaman Maluach.
Rank | Team | Names | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | France | Victor Wembanyama | 2.22m (7'3") |
2 | Greece | Georgios Papagianis | 2.17m (7'1") |
3 | France | Rudy Gobert | 2.16m (7'1") |
| Serbia | Uro Plavsic | 2.16m (7'1") |
| South Sudan | Khaman Maluach | 2.16m (7'1") |
6 | Serbia | Nikola Milutinov | 2.13m (7'0") |
| USA | Joel Embiid | 2.13m (7'0") |
8 | Canada | Dwight Powell | 2.12m (6'11") |
9 | Puerto Rico | George Conditt IV | 2.12m (6'11") |
10 | Australia | Jock Landale | 2.11m (6'11") |
| Australia | Duop Reath | 2.11m (6'11") |
| Canada | Kelly Olynyk | 2.11m (6'11") |
| Germany | Johannes Voigtmann | 2.11m (6'11") |
| Germany | Moritz Wagner | 2.11m (6'11") |
| Greece | Gianniks Antetokounmpo | 2.11m (6'11") |
| Serbia | Nikola Jokic | 2.11m (6'11") |
| Serbia | Filip Pertusev | 2.11m (6'11") |
| Spain | Santi Aldama | 2.11m (6'11") |
| Spain | Willy Hernangomez | 2.11m (6'11") |
| USA | Kevin Durant | 2.11m (6'11") |
Shortest Players at Olympics
Short in height doesn't mean short on impact. The 10 smallest players are sure to affect games in a myriad of ways for their national teams. Japan's Yuki's, Kawamura and Togashi, will come up with steals, assist teammates and bury 3-pointers. Puerto Rican trio Jordan Howard, Tremont Howard and Jose "Grand Theft" Alvarado will dominate with their quickness, and "slickness." Patty Mills will be Australia's most reliable shooter from deep.
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|---|---|---|---|
1 | Japan | Yuki Togashi | 1.67m (5'6") |
2 | Japan | Yuki Kawamura | 1.72m (5'8") |
3 | Brazil | Yago Santos | 1.78m (5'10") |
| France | Andrew Albicy | 1.78m (5'10") |
5 | Puerto Rico | Jordan Horward | 1.80m (5'11") |
| Puerto Rico | Tremont Waters | 1.80m (5'11") |
7 | Australia | Patty Mills | 1.83m (6'0") |
| Puerto Rico | Jose Alvarado | 1.83m (6'0") |
| South Sudan | Carlik Jones | 1.83m (6'0") |
10 | France | Matthew Strazel | 1.84m (6'0") |
FIBA