- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,129,560
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
Oliver Rioux pictured with his Florida Gators teammates
Credit: James Gilbert/Getty (2)
NEED TO KNOW
- Florida Gators basketball player Olivier Rioux, who is 7 feet, 9 inches tall, became the tallest player to appear in a NCAA game on Friday, March 20
- He stepped on the court in the last few minutes of the game and further widened his team's lead over the Prairie View A&M Panthers with a put-back dunk
- Rioux previously earned the Guinness World Record of the tallest male teenager in the world at the age of 16 when he was 7 feet, 5 inches
Basketball player Olivier Rioux is setting a new record thanks to his impressive height.
Rioux, who plays for the Florida Gators men's basketball team, became the tallest player to appear in a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) game after his team took on the Prairie View A&M Panthers on Friday, March 20, according to The Athletic.
The basketball player — who is 7 feet, 9 inches tall, per the Gators website — was brought in to play on the court in the last few minutes of the game and sealed the team’s win with a put-back dunk, according to the outlet.
You must be registered for see images attach
Olivier Rioux #32 of the Florida Gators during the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on March 20, 2026
Credit: Mike Carlson/Getty
A clip of the dunk posted on X by CBS Sports showed him making the two points, with the crowd and his teammates jumping up and going wild right after. His scoring widened the gap over the Panthers and helped the Gators win 114-55.
“It feels amazing,” Rioux said after the game, per The Athletic.
The 20-year-old also broke records earlier in the season after becoming the tallest player to play in a college basketball game, score in a game and make a field goal in a game in November and December 2025, per the outlet.
His height is notable as he towers over the rest of his team. The next tallest player on the Gators roster is Micah Handlogten, who stands 8 inches shorter than Rioux at 7 feet, 1 inch, per The Athletic.
However, Rioux's college career isn’t the first time he’s broken these kinds of records. He previously took the achievement as the tallest male teenager in the world at the age of 16 when he was 7 feet, 5 inches, according to the Guinness World Records.
In his Guinness World Records profile, Rioux shared that his height came with its own pros and cons, which include having to duck under doors and find clothing that fits. He said that his family was “still not 100% sure why I’m so tall.”
“After investigation, doctors could only explain it with the genetics that my family has,” he said. “My father is 6’8, my mom is 6’2 and my older brother is 6’9. So we’re a pretty tall family!”
You must be registered for see images attach
Center Olivier Rioux #32 of the Florida Gators during a game on Feb. 11, 2026
Credit: Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“It feels great being the height I am. I love it,” he added. “I was always taller than the rest of my friends at school or teammates. This is what nature planned for me. I learned to be peaceful and happy about it.”
As for what’s next for the basketball player, who hails from Quebec, Canada, he and his team are next scheduled to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 on Sunday, March 22.
Read the original article on People
Continue reading...
