WINNER Wembanyama went viral after being photographed next to an opponent almost half a meter shorter than him.
The 20-year-old NBA Rookie of the Year took the court for France’s second game of the Olympics on Tuesday, when they faced Japan.
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It was a difficult game for Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert and company, with Rui Hachimura and Yuki Kawamura putting on a show for the Japanese.
Kawamura scored a game-high 29 points, seven rebounds and a game-high 6 assists.
In doing so, he became just the third player this century to rack up more than 25 assists, five rebounds and five assists in an Olympic game. FIBA.
Teammate Hachimura added 24 more points for Japan, who despite his valiant effort, would lose 94-90 in overtime.
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However, it was 5ft 6in Yuki Togashi, who played 12 minutes off the bench for Japan, who stole many of the headlines.
Lining up opposite the 7-foot-tall Wembanyama on several occasions during the game, his large height difference caught the attention of fans.
“This is wild,” one viewer tweeted.
“David and Goliath,” said a second.
“To say this is a mismatch is an understatement,” added another.
While a fourth joked, “This is what it feels like as a freshman on varsity against a 5-star center.”
San Antonio Spurs star Wembanyama finished with a team-high 18 points to go along with 11 rebounds and six assists.
Remarkably, 16 of Wemby’s points came just over two and a half minutes into extra time.
The victory leaves France second in Group B, four points behind Germany, who have a better points differential.
France and Germany will face each other on Friday to end the group stage.
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As for the star-studded North American team, they are currently top of Group C after one game after defeating Nikola Jokic’s Serbia 110-84.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was Kevin Durant and LeBron James who led the way for Team USA, scoring a game-high 23 and 21 points, respectively.
James also led the game in rebounds (seven) and assists (nine).
Jokic’s 20 points, eight assists and five rebounds were team-highs.
Team USA will face South Sudan on Wednesday before facing Puerto Rico on Saturday.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
