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Rudy Fernandez (Source: X)
Rudy Fernandez of Spain is the only male basketball player to represent his country in six Olympics. The 39-year-old reached the milestone on Saturday during Spain's opening-round Olympic game against Australia, when he checked in at 5:18 of the first quarter.
The 39-year-old competed in his first Olympic Games in 2004 in Athens, where they took home two silver and one bronze in 2008 and 2012, respectively. Fernandez's performance today is his 36th in the Olympics, good enough for fifth place on an all-time list. With a strong performance, Fernandez may potentially surpass Australian Andrew Gaze, who now leads the field with 40 games played, to become the player with the most in Olympic basketball.
Due to this accomplishment and recognition, NBA representatives from other countries expressed interest. 2007 saw Rudy Fernandez declare for the NBA draft. The Portland Trail Blazers acquired him in the second round after he was selected by Phoenix Suns with the 24th overall pick in the first round.
Even superstar veterans like LeBron James and Kevin Durant, who will be playing in their fourth games together, will not be able to break this record. Even though Fernandez is the first, he won't be alone for long since Team USA player Diana Taurasi will join him for the next match against Japan.
Diana Taurasi will become the first female basketball player to appear in six Olympics
Australia defeated Spain 92–80 on Saturday to begin the Olympic basketball competition in Lille, France, captained by Jock Landale. In addition to Josh Giddey's 17 points and Patty Mills' 19, Landale finished with 20 points and nine rebounds. Spain will play Greece on Tuesday, while Australia, also in Group A with Greece and Canada, will play Canada next.
When the U.S. women begin play against Japan on Monday, Diana Taurasi will become the first female basketball player to appear in six Olympics, joining Fernandez. Argentina's Luis Scola, Australia's Andrew Gaze, Brazil's Oscar Schmidt, Puerto Rico's Teofilo Cruz, and Spain's Juan Carlos Navarro have all competed in five Olympics.