Who are the tallest, shortest, youngest and oldest basketball players at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games?

The Paris Olympics will bring together 144 basketball players from twelve different countries: players of all ages and sizes - tall, short, veterans and those experiencing the Games for the first time. Let’s take a look at those who head in to the summer showpiece at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Wembanyama, the tallest player at the Games

Victor Wembanyama will be one of the players who fans will be closely watching at these Games. The Spurs center will make his Olympic debut when France take on Brazil this evening. The 20-year-old turned down the chance to play in last year’s World Cup so that he could prepare for his first year in the NBA. He is the tallest player of all those competing in Paris. At 2.22m tall, he is five centimeters taller than Greece’s Georgios Papagiannis (the new Monaco player stands at 2.17m).

In third place, there is a three-way tie between another Frenchman, Rudy Gobert, Serbian Uro Plavsic and South Sudan’s Khaman Maluach - all three measure up at 2.16m tall. Next on the list are Serbia’s Nikola Milutinov and Team USA’s Joel Embiid, both at 2.13m tall.

Japan’s Yuki Togashi, the shortest

And from the tallest to the shortest. Japanese point guard Yuki Togashi is the only player in all the Games under 1.70m. The Chiba Jets Funabashi player is 1.67m tall - just under the second on this list, fellow teammate, Kuri Kawamura who is at 1.78m tall.

Two other players are also 1.78m - Brazil’s Yago Santos and Andrew Albicy, who stars for France. In Puerto Rico’s basketball roster,, Jordan Howard and Tremont Waters are slightly taller at 1.80m.

South Sudan’s teenage center

He was already the youngest player at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and holds the honor again during these Games. South Sudan center Khaman Maluach will turn 18 years of age on 14 September. At 17, he is the youngest basketball player taking part in Paris.

Next in the list of youngsters are three 20-year-old’s: France’s Bilal Coulibaly (26/07/2004), Japan’s Akira Jacobs (13/04/2004) and Victor Wembanyama (04/01/2004). Further down the ranking are two players born in 2003 - Serbia’s Nikola Jovic and Australia’s Josh Giddey. The U-22 list is completed by Team Australia’s Josh Giddey, South Sudan’s JT Thor, France’s Matthew Strazel and Brazil’s Gui Santos.

Marcelinho, the only Olympian in his 40s

At the 2024 Games, Spain’s Rudy Fernández will become the first basketball player to compete in six Olympic games and, for obvious reasons, he is among the top three veterans in Paris. The Mallorcan turned 39 in April, but he has two more or less forty-somethings ahead of him, one of whom is already in his forties, Marcelinho Huertas (25/05/1983), and another who will be hitting 40 in a few months’ time, LeBron James (30/12/1984).

At 37 years old, we have France’s Nando de Colo (04/04/1987), and not too far behind him are Australia’s Joe Ingles (02/10/1987) and Spain’s buzzer beater extraordinaire, Sergio Llull (15/11/1987).

The basketball event starts on Saturday 27 July, with the men’s group stage running until 3 August. The quarter finals start on 6 August with the semi-finals two days later on the 8th and the grand final and bronze medal game on 10 August.