Stunning Photos Show Height Difference Between Victor Wembanyama, Team Japan Player

This is insane.
France's Victor Wembanyama (no. 32) and Japan's Yuki Togashi (no. 2) on the court next to each other during a Group B basketball game in Pierre Mauro Stadium at the 2024 Paris Olympics on July 30, 2024.
France's Victor Wembanyama (no. 32) and Japan's Yuki Togashi (no. 2) on the court next to each other during a Group B basketball game in Pierre Mauro Stadium at the 2024 Paris Olympics on July 30, 2024. / Screengrab Twitter @FIBA

What happens when a game involving the Olympics' tallest and shortest basketball players is played?

Iconic photos are taken. That's what happened during Tuesday's Group B men's basketball game between France and Japan at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, when 7'4" French center Victor Wembanyama ended up right next to 5'6" Japanese guard Yuki Togashi.

As one can imagine, the pictures, which showed Togashi in a defensive stance somewhere near Wembanyama's hip region, were memorable—and instantly went viral on social media.

Here are some of the best photos from the France-Japan game on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Ben Golliver of The Washington Post, one of the first to point out the immense height difference, posted some good photos as well.

Japan's coaches had to be sweating anytime they saw Togashi switched onto Wembanyama during the contest. In all seriousness, while the height difference between the two players was massive—over 21 inches to be exact—the difference between the two teams on the court was not so stark, as the Japanese pushed the French into an overtime period, where they were eventually bested 94-90.


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Tim Capurso

TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.