How tall is Florida's Olivier Rioux? What to know about college basketball's tallest player
· Yahoo Sports
TAMPA - Florida basketball’s Olivier Rioux has made headlines this season.
It's hard not to miss him.
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Florida's big man stands at 7-foot-9, 305 pounds. Earlier this season, Rioux became the tallest basketball player to ever step on the court in either the amateur or professional levels.
Olivier Rioux makes history in November
Rioux first stepped on the court back in November as chants of ‘We Want Ollie’ erupted during the Gators’ eventual 104-64 victory against North Florida. When he checked in, Rioux officially made history.
“It’s just another day,” Rioux said after the game. "It felt great. The support from everybody was amazing. Even on the bench and even with the fans. Everybody supported me. I’m very grateful.”
Since Rioux's first game, the chants have become common to hear in all of Florida's home blowout victories.
Roughly two weeks later, Rioux recorded his first career point as he knocked down a free throw in an 80-45 win over Merrimack. In the same game, he also logged his first rebound.
“Just being able to practice with him, how he's been progressing from last year, working really hard, doing what he can just to stay fit and make sure that he's available to go in there and do what he does," said Florida teammate Rueben Chinyelu after the game vs Merrimack. "I'm just so happy just to see him out there."
Rioux scored the first bucket of his career against Alabama in the Gators’ 100-77 win, which was his final day as a teenager as he turned 20 a day later.
In total, Rioux has appeared in 11 games, including six SEC matchups.
"He put in a lot of great work and to his credit, he's kept a great attitude without getting a lot of reward in terms of playing time and opportunity,” Florida coach Todd Golden said in November. “He went into this year knowing that our ability to get the frontcourt to come back was going to limit his opportunities."
Florida’s Olivier Rioux, who stands at 7-foot-9, finally scores. #Gators
— Andrew Abadie (@AndrewAbadie) December 18, 2025
The crowd goes nuts. pic.twitter.com/x9SMwssgsv
How quickly has Olivier Rioux grown?
The Canadian, who redshirted for UF in 2025, made headlines when he set the Guinness World Record for tallest teenager.
By the age of 8, Rioux already stood at 6-foot-1. He then grew to 6-foot-11 by sixth grade, and then crossed the 7-foot mark before entering the seventh grade.
Now, he wears a size 20 shoe and eats between 5,000 and 6,000 calories a day, he said in an interview with ESPN.
Olivier Rioux as a high school prospect
Out of high school, Rioux was a rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports, On3 and Rivals.
In 2023, Rioux helped Canada to a bronze medal at the 2023 U18 FIBA AmeriCup as he averaged 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds.
In 2021, over six games at the FIBA U16 America Championship, he averaged 8.3 points and 10.3 rebounds.
Reach Florida Gators writer Andrew Abadie at [email protected] or on X (formerly Twitter) at @AndrewAbadie. You can also find him on Facebook at Andrew Abadie Sports Reporter or on Instagram @andrewabadie_sports.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: What to know about Florida basketball's Olivier Rioux, tallest player in college baskebtall