Former NBA player makes history as first ever male to feature in 6 different Olympic Games
Former NBA player Rudy Fernandez made Olympic history on the opening day of the 2024 Paris Olympics by becoming the first men's player to appear in six different Olympics. The 39-year-old grabbed the unique record when he was subbed in with just over five minutes left in the first quarter of Spain's opening game of the men's basketball event against Team Australia on Saturday.
With his appearance in the matchup, Rudy 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, all of whom had participated in five Olympics.
Fernandez played in the NBA for the Portland Trail Blazers from 2008 to 2011, and again in the 2011-2012 season for the Denver Nuggets.
Meanwhile, the USA women's basketball team's Diana Taurasi will become the first female player to feature in six Olympics in the upcoming week.
Fernandez made his debut at the Olympics in Athens 2004 as a 19-year-old. He then went on to play in Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020 before featuring in the 2024 Paris games. The Spaniard claimed two Olympic silver medals in 2008 and 2013 and one Olympic bronze in 2016.
By appearing in the matchup against Australia, Fernandez played his 35th Olympic contest and moved into fourth place in the stats, with Andrew Gaze from Australia holding the current record with 40 games played. Fernandez can tie Gaze for the record if Spain qualifies to play in the Gold Medal Game or Bronze Medal Game.
Spain loses to Australia in 2024 Paris Olympics basketball opener
The debut game of the 2024 Paris Olympics basketball event concluded with Team Australia clinching a 92-80 win against Team Spain in the Group A matchup. Though the Spanish team put up a valiant effort, the Australians maintained their lead throughout the game to secure their first win of the tournament.
Jock Landale led Australia's winning effort with 20 points, nine rebounds, five assists and one steal in the game while shooting 64% from the field. Meanwhile, Santi Aldama led Spain's losing effort with a game-high 27 points along with five rebounds and two steals while shooting 50% from the field.
Rudy Fernandez played slightly over 17 minutes for Spain and concluded his historic game with one assist and one steal.
Team Spain will face Greece next on Monday for its second league stage game. Meanwhile, Australia will play Canada on Monday.