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.
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″)
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