7-foot-9 Florida recruit is about to make college basketball history
Olivier Rioux makes Zach Edey look like Muggsy Bogues.
An incoming Florida basketball freshman, Rioux has gone viral in recent days after internet sleuths discovered his bio page on the school’s athletic website lists him at a staggering 7-foot-9.
That height would make the Montreal native the tallest college basketball player of all time, passing former 7-foot-8 Florida Tech and Mountain State center Paul Sturgess, according to Fox Sports.
Rioux previously entered the Guinness World Book of Records in 2022 as the tallest living male teenager.
“As a child, Olivier spent hours looking through his Guinness World Records books, studying the tallest people, and comparing himself to every record holder,” Guinness wrote in September 2021.
Time will tell if Rioux can leave his mark on college basketball the way his fellow Canadian and the 7-foot-4, two-time National Player of the Year Edey did, but Rioux is going to turn some heads this year.
You can’t teach height, as they say, and it’s not every day you see a 7-foot-9 player.
Edey brought plenty of eyes for his height and prowess, just like other giants before him, but he still fell five inches short of Rioux.
Perhaps the most-recognized skyscraper is the late Manute Bol, who stood at 7-foot-6 — some say 7-foot-7 — while playing for Division II Bridgeport in the 1980s before the Wizards drafted him in 1985.
Sturgess played collegiately from 2007-11 and set the previous record, although he did reach the Power Five level like Rioux will this upcoming season.
He eventually played for the Harlem Globetrotters.
The 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall also became a viral sensation for UCF during the late 2010s before heading to the NBA in 2019 for a brief career with the Celtics and Cavaliers
Rioux, who played for IMG Academy in Florida, actually lists himself at 7-foot-7 on his Instagram page, while noting that he’s 7-foot-9 with size-20 shoes on.
The Ballislife.com X account reported that the 18-year-old stood at 7-foot-5 two years ago before growing an inch last year and then adding another inch this year.
Rioux measured at 6-foot-1 as an 8-year-old, 6-foot-11 in sixth grade and joined the 7-foot club before entering seventh grade, according to Florida.
The 290-pound center went viral last year for posting a photo from 2018 of him towering over Nuggets guard Jamaal Murray, who is listed as 6-foot-4.
“Congrats to Jamal Murray for winning the Nba Championship with Denver ! @jmglitxh27,” Rioux wrote. “Do you remember 5 years ago you were the one asking for the picture 😂.”
Rioux is listed as a three-star prospect by 247sports.com, ranking 305th nationally and 56th among centers.
Edey, too, was considered a marginal Canadian prospect coming out of IMG Academy before blossoming into one of the most dominant college players ever and a likely first-round draft pick.
While his prep stats do not appear to be readily available, Rioux averaged 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for Team Canada during the 2023 U18 FIBA AmeriCup, according to Florida.
He also played for Team Canada during the 2024 U18 FIBA AmeriCup, the 2023 U19 World Cup, the 2022 U17 World Cup and the 2021 U16 Americas Championship, per the school.
Rioux’s set to join a Florida team that lost in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament and is bringing in the 68th-ranked recruiting class, according to 247sports.com.
