As the Paris Olympics will kick off today, the basketball group games will commence tomorrow, starting with the first group match between Australia and Spain. After the first one, the group showdowns that will follow tomorrow are Germany-Japan and France-Brazil.  Well, you may all be wondering what’s so special about it; it’s the schedule, after all. However, it is worth noting that basketball fanatics will get to see the tallest and the shortest basketball participants tomorrow playing on the court representing different nations.

Recently, the official IG page of the International Basketball Federation summarized as FIBA uploaded a post with trivia in the caption that read, “Did you know Yuki Togashi & Victor Wembanyama are the shortest and tallest players in Men’s Basketball at Paris2024? 🧐”

Posted along with an image of Victor Wembanyama and Yuki Togashi on the height scale, Wemby stood at 222 cm while Togashi hailed 167 cm.

What’s worth noting is that both of the players excel at basketball with their different traits, and that’s why they are representing their respective nations, France and Japan, in the Paris Olympics.

Paris Olympics Shortest basketball participant: Yuki Togashi

The 5’6″ Yuki Togashi, hailing from Japan, is a basketball player who plays in the East Asia Super League. With a regular season average of 18 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists, he is one of the top playmakers in his nation. In a sport where height is the X factor, the Chiba Jets star is breaking all the stereotypes in the basketball world with his performance despite his short stature. After securing a title for his team at the EASL this March, Yuki was too humble to accept his own greatness when he said post-game, “Everywhere we go, there was a lot of support, a lot of cheers. It’s not what [I] did, it’s maybe the environment that everybody loves basketball. It’s not only [myself], but I think it’s the whole atmosphere that created the environment.”

Tallest basketball participant: Victor Wembanyama

With his unbelievably long stature and acute style of playing basketball world, including an average of 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists, Victor Wembanyama is a force to reckon with in the basketball world. Though he achieved quite much at such a young age, he is making his debut this year at the Paris Olympics on July 27 against Brazil. Joined by NBA DPOY Rudy Gobert, the French team has got two seven-foot giants on the frontline, making them a strong contender for the Gold this year. Looking ahead for a great start, the Spurs rookie confessed a couple of days ago, “I’ve been preparing myself for the Games since I saw the Olympics on TV for the first time.”

Quite humble and integrated, considering their shortest and tallest stature in the Paris Olympics, Yuki and Wembanyama are definitely not mediocre talents. Therefore, it will be worth watching how they etch their impact on the minds of basketball enthusiasts all over the world with their performance. On a scale of 1-5, how much are you excited to witness these players at the Paris Olympics? Comment down your ratings.

Before checking yourself out, do make sure to go through the latest basketball exchange between BG12 and All-SEC freshman Silas Demary Jr. on Caitlin Clark and WNBA!