Olympic viewers spot 7ft 4in Victor Wembanyama being marked by 5ft 6in Yuki Togashi and gasp ‘this is wild’
VICTOR Wembanyama has gone viral after being snapped alongside an opponent almost two feet shorter than him.
The NBA Rookie of the Year, 20, took to the court for France’s second game of the Olympics on Tuesday when they faced Japan.
It proved to be a tough game for Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, and Co. as Rui Hachimura and Yuki Kawamura put on a show for the Japanese.
Kawamura scored a game-high 29 points, along with seven rebounds, and a joint game-best 6 assists.
In doing so, he became just the third player this century to rack up over 25 assists, five rebounds, and five assists in an Olympic game, as per FIBA.
Teammate Hachimura added another 24 points for Japan, who despite their valiant effort, would go on to lose 94-90 in overtime.
However, it was 5ft 6ich Yuki Togashi, who played 12 minutes off the bench for Japan, who stole many of the headlines.
Lining up opposite 7ft 4inch Wembanyama on multiple occasions during the game, their stark 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 how it feels checking in as a freshman on varsity against a 5-star center.”
San Antonio Spurs star Wembanyama ultimately finished with a team-high 18 points, along with 11 rebounds and six assists.
Notably, 16 of Wemby’s points came in just over two and a half minutes to start overtime.
The win leaves France second in Group B four points behind Germany who have a better points differential.
France and Germany will battle it out on Friday to close out the group phase.
How to watch the Olympics in the US
All recommendations within this article are informed by expert editorial opinion. If you click on a link in this story we may earn affiliate revenue.
As for the star-studded US team, they are currently top of Group C after one game, having beaten 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 both rebounds (seven) and assists (nine).
Jokic’s 20 points, eight assists, and five rebounds were all team bests.
Team USA will take on South Sudan on Wednesday before facing Puerto Rico on Saturday.
