Tallest and shortest basketball players at the 2024 Paris Olympics, featuring Victor Wembanyama
The 2024 Paris Olympics is set to kickstart on July 27, and the basketball event for this year will see plenty of high-profile teams giving it their all for a medal. The United States arrived in Paris as the obvious favorites for the gold medal, considering the eye-watering talent on their roster.
However, there are plenty of other superstars and NBA player-rich teams that will also be seen as worthy contenders for a podium finish. From Canada to Germany to Nikola Jokic’s Serbia, there are plenty of teams capable of pulling out huge surprises.
Apart from talent, a range of players will also showcase their wide variety of physical gifts, with Victor Wembanyama the tallest basketball player who has arrived at the Olympics. Here, we look at some unique physical specimens who are part of the event, ranging from the tallest to the shortest basketball players set to take part in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
2024 Paris Olympics: Tallest and shortest players in the basketball event
Tallest basketball stars at Paris Olympics
First and foremost, there is Victor Wembanyama, who stands at a daunting 7-foot-3, or 2.22 meters, and is the tallest specimen who arrives to the event. The San Antonio Spurs prodigy will be the most obvious star for France, who will have their hopes pinned on the 20-year-old.
Following him is Greece’s Georgios Papagiannis, who stands tall at 7-foot-1, or 2.17 meters, narrowly missing out on the top spot. The experienced 27-year-old is an integral part of his team and is tied for the second spot when it comes to height.
Tied with him is none other than Minnesota Timberwolves and France superstar Rudy Gobert. Gobert is also 7-foot-1, and he carries the expectations for France, even though they have other major stars in the form of Nicolas Batum and Wemby.
Furthermore, South Sudan’s Khaman Maluach, who stands at 2.16 meters, is tied at the third spot with Serbia’s Uro Plavsic. Both players can be expected to be starters for their respective teams.
The likes of Joel Embiid and Serbia's Nikola Milutinov narrowly miss out; both are 7-footers.
Shortest basketball players at Paris Olympics
Some of the shortest players in the NBA are from Japan. Yuki Togashi is the shortest star at the Olympics this year, standing at just 1.67 meters or 5-foot-6. He is the shortest player at the event, although his experience will be useful for the Japanese.
Moving on, his teammate Yuki Kawamura stands at 1.72 meters, or 5-foot-8, which makes him the second-shortest basketball player at the event. Kawamura is one of the brightest basketball prospects of Japan and is expected to play a major role in any success that his team ends up getting at the event.
Following him, there are two players tied at the No. 3 spot. Brazile Yago Santos and France’s Andrew Albicy are both 1.78 meters tall, or 5-foot-10. The French international comes into a roster that boasts of some of the tallest players at the event, and he is largely known for his passing and playmaking skills.
Finally, there are two more players who are below the 6-foot mark at the Paris Olympics. This includes Puerto Rico’s Jordan Howard and his teammate Tremont Waters, who are both expected to be starters for their team. The rest of the players who have arrived for the event are all at least 6 feet tall, with Patty Mills narrowly escaping this list.
Basketball players of varying heights have shown up for this year's Olympics, which is expected to see a number of contenders emerge.