Olivier Rioux
Rioux in 2025
No. 32 – Florida Gators
Position Centre
League Southeastern Conference
Personal information
Born (2006-02-02) February 2, 2006 (age 20)
Terrebonne, Quebec, Canada
Listed height 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m)
Listed weight 305 lb (138 kg)
Career information
High school IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida)
College Florida (2025–present)
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Canada
FIBA Under-18 AmeriCup
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Argentina Team
FIBA Under-16 AmeriCup
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Mexico Team

Olivier Rioux (born February 2, 2006) is a Canadian college basketball player for the Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Guinness World Records declared him as the tallest teenager in the world in 2021 when he measured 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m) at the age of 15.[1] As of 2025, he stands 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) tall.[2]

Early life and high school career

Olivier Rioux was born in Terrebonne on February 2, 2006, to Jean-François, a 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) photographer and former volleyball player, and Anne Gariépy, who is 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) and works at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). His older brother, Émile, who is 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), has also played basketball.[3] The family has resided in the Anjou borough of Montreal and the suburb of Beloeil.[citation needed]

Rioux started playing basketball when he was five.[4] Both he and Émile played for multiple Canadian AAU teams.[citation needed] Rioux first gained attention while playing internationally for the French Phenoms at 12, because by then he was already 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) tall.[5] He played for Real Madrid prior to attending IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.[6][3] He also played for Canadian AAU team Brookwood Elite.[7]

Like his contemporary college basketball player, 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) Robert Bobroczkyi, Rioux into early-mid adolescence approximated the growth of Robert Wadlow at similar ages (Bobroczkyi at times exceeding it). Rioux's growth is considered natural, as familial tall stature.[8]

College career

Rioux committed to play college basketball at the University of Florida in November 2023.[9][4] He was originally prospected for the 2025 recruiting class, but successfully reclassified as a member of the class of 2024.[9] At the time of his recruitment he was listed at 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m), taller than the tallest then-active college basketball player Jamarion Sharp (7 ft 5 in (2.26 m)) and the two tallest active NBA players Boban Marjanović and Victor Wembanyama (both 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)).[9]

Rioux joined the 2024–25 Florida Gators men's basketball team as a preferred walk-on and with his height updated to 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m).[10][4][11] He did not appear in any of the Gators' initial contests despite fans chanting for the tall freshman to play in garbage time; after the fourth game, head coach Todd Golden announced that Rioux was being redshirted to preserve his eligibility.[12][13]

As a redshirt freshman on the 2025–26 team, Rioux checked in for the closing minutes of Florida's 104–64 win over North Florida on November 6, 2025, becoming the tallest player in college basketball history to appear in a game.[14][15][11]

National team career

Rioux first represented Canada at the youth level during the 2021 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Mexico. He helped Canada win bronze at the tournament, finishing with averages of 8.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.[16] A year later, he played for Canada at the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup in Spain. He finished the competition with averages of 2.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.[17]

In June 2023, Rioux was selected to play for Canada at the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup in Hungary. He averaged 3.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game over the course of the tournament.[18] The following year, at the 2024 FIBA Under-18 AmeriCup in Argentina, Rioux won his second bronze medal at the youth level. He finished the event averaging 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.[19] Rioux was again selected to play for Canada at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland, averaging 1.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game by the end of the tournament.[20]

References

  1. ^ Marcus, Amanda (September 15, 2021). "Canadian confirmed as tallest teenager in the world". Guinness World Records. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  2. ^ "Olivier Rioux - Men's Basketball". Florida Gators. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Browne, Ken (May 2, 2019). "Canada's new basketball prodigy Olivier Rioux: 13 years old, 2.18m tall, shoe size 20". Olympics.com. International Olympic Committee. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Asmelash, Leah (June 21, 2024). "At 7'9", he's about to become the tallest college basketball player ever". CNN. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  5. ^ Ewing, Lori (June 19, 2018). "Six-foot-ten Canadian 12-year-old gets the attention of NBA players". The Canadian Press. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  6. ^ Newman, Logan (December 26, 2023). "Above the Rim and Beyond the Court: Olivier Rioux, the world's tallest teen, is more than just a basketball player". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023.
  7. ^ Newman, Logan (July 24, 2023). "Who is Olivier Rioux, the 7-foot-6 teenager?". USA Today. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  8. ^ Rudolph, Christopher (April 5, 2025). "All About Olivier Rioux's Parents, Jean-François Rioux and Anne Gariépy". People. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c Al-Khateeb, Zac (November 8, 2023). "Florida basketball recruiting: Meet Olivier Rioux, 7-6 commit taller than Victor Wembanyama". The Gainesville Sun. USA TODAY Network. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
  10. ^ Long, Mark (October 29, 2024). "At 7 feet, 9 inches, Olivier Rioux is the world's tallest teen and an intriguing basketball project". Associated Press. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Olivier Rioux Stats". USA Today. Retrieved December 28, 2025. Team: Florida; Season: 2024, 2025
  12. ^ Long, Mark (November 15, 2024). "The world's tallest teenager, 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux, plans to redshirt at Florida this season". Associated Press. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  13. ^ Brockway, Kevin (November 14, 2024). "Florida basketball plans to redshirt walk-on 7-9 center Olivier Rioux this season". The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
  14. ^ Boone, Kyle (November 7, 2025). "Florida big man Olivier Rioux makes history, becomes tallest college basketball player ever". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 7, 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ Long, Mark (November 6, 2025). "The world's tallest teenager becomes the tallest player in college basketball history". Associated Press. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
  16. ^ "Olivier Rioux 2021 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship statistics". fiba.basketball. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  17. ^ "Olivier Rioux 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup statistics". fiba.basketball. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  18. ^ "Olivier Rioux 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup statistics". fiba.basketball. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  19. ^ "Olivier Rioux 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup statistics". fiba.basketball. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  20. ^ "Olivier Rioux 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup statistics". fiba.basketball. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
logo
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Olivier Rioux.