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 game for Florida men’s basketball, his place in the Guinness World Record books got even stronger, extending his mark as the world’s tallest teenager from 7-foot-7 two months ago to 7-FOOT-9 in present day.
Rioux’s height of three inches shy of eight feet tall will also make him arguably the tallest player to ever play Division-I basketball.
Last year, Ole Miss’ Jamarion Sharp and Missouri‘s Connor Vanover were the tallest players in Division I at 7-foot-5, four inches shorter than Rioux.
The tallest players in NBA history are Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol, both standing 7-foot-7, Rioux’s height two months ago.
At 15, Rioux stood at 7-foot-5. That height alone was sure to draw the interest of 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
The 7-foot-9 Rioux towers over normal-height high school students and everyone else
Rioux visited Florida last October and did not have to wait long to make his college decision, with the biggest school in his home state offering him a scholarship.
Rioux is a three-star prospect accoridng to the 247Sports Composite, just ranking outside the top 300 players in the nation for the 2024 recruiting class.
The composite also ranks Rioux, who plays for powerhouse 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, who 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 this fall in Gainesville and join a Gators team that reached the NCAA Tournament last season.
Colorado eliminated Florida in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in March.
