Florida Freshman Olivier Rioux Is About To Become The Tallest College Basketball Player Ever
Oh, you thought Zach Edey was tall? Allow me to introduce you to Olivier Rioux.
The incoming University of Florida freshman stands at a staggering 7-foot-9. That means this fall, he'll officially become the tallest college basketball player of all time — beating out former 7-foot-8 Florida Tech and Mountain State center Paul Sturgess.
Olivier Rioux is set to become the tallest college basketball player ever.
(USA TODAY Sports)
In 2022 — when he was just 16 years old — Rioux entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest living teenager. At that time, he was just a measly 7-foot-5.33. Even though he comes from a very tall family (dad is 6'8, mom is 6'2 and brother is 6'9), he still towers over them all.
"I was always taller than the rest of my friends at school or teammates," Rioux said in 2022. "This is what nature planned for me. I learned to be peaceful and happy about it."
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And now he's hoping his freakishly tall stature will give him an edge in the next phase of his basketball career.
Rioux, who played for IMG Academy in Florida, actually lists himself at 7'7 on his Instagram page, noting that he’s 7'9 with his size-20 shoes on. And at just 18 years old, he might not be done growing yet.
For reference, the tallest NBA player in history was 7-foot-7 Gheorghe Mureșan. So if Rioux goes on to play professionally, he could snag that record, too.
The Canada native is listed as a three-star prospect by 247sports.com, ranking 305th nationally and 56th among centers. Rioux will join a Florida team that lost in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament and enters this season with the 68th-ranked recruiting class.