Florida basketball giant Olivier Rioux extends his Guinness World Record height for a teenager to 7-FOOT-9 before Gators career begins
Before Olivier Rioux plays a Florida men’s basketball game, his place in the Guinness World Record books became even stronger, expanding his position as the world’s tallest teenager from 6 feet tall two months ago to 7 feet 10 inches long now.
Rioux’s height of four inches and over eight feet tall will also make him perhaps the tallest player to ever play Division I basketball.
Last year, Jamarion Sharp of Ole Miss and Connor Vanover of Missouri were the tallest players in Division I at 7-foot-10, four inches shorter than Rioux.
The tallest players in NBA history are Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol, both 6 feet tall, the height of Rioux two months ago.
At the age of 15, Rioux stood at 2.5 meters. That height alone would certainly draw interest from college programs, with him committing to the Gators last November.
Olivier Rioux will become the tallest player in Division I men’s basketball this fall
Rioux visited Florida last October and didn’t have to wait long to make his college decision, with the largest school in his home state offering him a scholarship.
Rioux is a three-star prospect according to the 247Sports compositejust outside the nation’s top 300 players for the 2024 recruiting class.
The composite also ranks Rioux, who plays for the powerful private school IMG Academy in Bradenton, as the 53rd best center in the country and the No. 27 player in the state of Florida.
Rioux also received offers from Stetson and Florida Atlantic, which made the Final Four in 2023 under former head coach Dusty May.
Nebraska was the only other high-level Division I school to show legitimate interest in Rioux, per 247.
Rioux will enroll in Gainesville this fall, joining a Gators team that reached the NCAA Tournament last season.
Colorado eliminated Florida in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in March.