Rudy Fernandez and Diana Taurasi become first Basketball players to compete in six Olympics

Spain’s Rudy Fernandez, at 39, became the first male basketball player to compete in six Olympics when he checked in during the first quarter of Spain’s opener against Australia in the Paris Olympics. Diana Taurasi will match this milestone as the first female basketball player to compete in six Olympics when the U.S. women face Japan on Monday. Notably, Juan Carlos Navarro, Teofilo Cruz, Andrew Gaze, Oscar Schmidt, and Luis Scola have all participated in five Olympics.

Landale scores 20 points, Australia powers past Spain 92-80 to open Olympic basketball tournament

Jock Landale led Australia to a 92-80 victory over Spain on Saturday to kick off the Olympic basketball tournament in Lille. Landale scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Patty Mills added 19 points and Josh Giddey chipped in 17. Australia, which also faces Greece and Canada in Group A, next plays Canada on Tuesday, while Spain will take on Greece.

Australia built an early 31-17 lead with Landale scoring eight points in the first quarter. Spain closed the gap with a 10-0 run that stretched into the second period. Despite Spain’s 9-0 run giving them a 56-54 lead in the third quarter, Australia responded with a decisive 15-4 run to close the period and never trailed again.

Spain’s Santi Aldama and Sergio Llull both scored 17 points, and the team made 12 three-pointers but shot just 39% from the field. Australia dominated in the paint, scoring 42 points and securing a 46-34 rebounding advantage. The game also saw heated moments, including a scuffle between Spain’s Usman Garuba and Australia’s Josh Green, leading to double unsportsmanlike fouls. (With inputs from Agencies)