Olympic Basketball 2012: 6 International Stars Who Have Shined Thus Far

With most eyes rested squarely on Team USA's basketball squad in London, it's easy to forget about the immense international talent on display.

Some of these players American audiences are already familiar with based on their time in the NBA, while others are making their presence known for the first time.

But with games just getting underway Sunday, most haven't had the time to get to know who these top performers are. With that in mind, here's a look at six international stars who have shined on the Olympic stage so far.

Amine Rzig

Position: Shooting Guard

Country: Tunisia

Olympic Stats: 18 points (7-for-9 shooting), two rebounds, one assist

Without Rzig's brilliance off the bench, the Tunisian offense would have looked even uglier than it already did against Nigeria.

Rzig was one of just two players on Tunisia's roster to shoot over 50 percent from the field and was responsible for nearly a third of the team's 56 points. 

Stepping up on the international stage is nothing new for Rzig. He was a member of the All-Tournament team in 2009's FIBA Africa Championship and led the team to a bronze medal in the tournament.

With the Tunisian squad set as massive underdogs in Group A, it's likely that it will be five and out for Rzig. Regardless, it looks like he's ready to make it a memorable experience.

Marcelinho Huertas

Position: Point Guard

Country: Brazil

Olympic Stats: 15 points (4-for-12 shooting), four rebounds, 10 assists

While Huertas struggled from the field in Brazil's 75-71 victory over Australia, his ability to get to the free-throw line and distribution prowess paid massive dividends for the Brazilians.

Breaking down opposing guard Patty Mills, Huertas was seemingly able to get into the Australian middle with ease, enabling Huertas to create for other or take it himself. The Brazilian also corralled Mills into a 9-for-24 shooting performance.

Brazil's coaching staff also showed immense belief in Huertas' leadership abilities, keeping him in the game for a team-high 33 minutes and allowing him to take over the offense down the stretch.

Alexey Shved

Position: Point Guard

Country: Russia

Olympic Stats: 16 points (6-for-11 shooting), six rebounds, 13 assists

Perhaps no player had a better all-around performance thus far than Shved.

In Russia's 95-75 blowout of host Great Britain, the combo guard showed everybody why the Minnesota Timberwolves dropped a cool $10 million on his services.

Shved weaved in and out of the British defense with ease. Shved either assisted or scored on 19 of Russia's 37 made field goals and put future NBA teammate Andrei Kirilenko in a position to absolutely crush Great Britain.

If Shved and Kirilenko can keep this up, Russia may make a Cinderella run to the medal round.

Andrei Kirilenko

Position: Small Forward

Country: Russia

Olympic Stats: 35 points (14-for-17 shooting), four rebounds, one assist

No player was on the receiving end of more Shved dishes than Kirilenko, whose 35 points led all scorers so far in London.

The Russian small forward looked like a man possessed against Great Britain, seemingly ready to will his teammates to the medal round by himself. While his main contribution came offensively, in typical Kirilenko fashion, he added three blocks and two steals as well.

Let's just put it this way. Kirilenko looked so good thus far that I bet the Minnesota Timberwolves are happy it's costing them only $20 million over two years for his services.

Luis Scola

Position: Power Forward

Country: Argentina

Olympic Stats: 32 points (12-for-19 shooting), five rebounds, four assists

Argentina came away with a 23-point victory over Lithuania in what was supposed to be a close game, and Scola was a huge reason why.

The newly-acquired Phoenix Sun dropped 32 points, grabbed five rebounds and even had three blocks in Argentina's 102-79 victory.

As one of the leaders of the veteran Argentinian squad, the 32-year-old Scola will need to continue performing like this if his home country wants to pull the upset for gold.

Yi Jianlian

Position: Power Forward

Country: China

Olympic Stats: 30 points (12-for-19 shooting), 12 rebounds

Sometimes you watch a spectacular performance from a certain player and wonder why he never lived up to his potential.

That was the case with Jianlian Sunday, as he dominated Spain's frontline despite seemingly being the only member of his team to show up. Yi showed confidence he's never exhibited at the NBA level, weaving in and out of the paint while even dropping a couple threes on Spain's head.

China came away from their game Sunday as 16-point losers, but they may have found a team leader in the process.