At eight years old, he was 6’ 1”. By sixth grade, he was almost 7 feet tall. And now, as an incoming college freshman, he’s listed at 7’9’’ — and poised to be the tallest college basketball player ever. Olivier Rioux, once the record holder as the tallest teenager in the world, is now listed on the University of Florida’s men’s basketball roster after committing to the Gators last fall. At the time, according to recruiting site 247sports, the Montreal native and three-star recruit was just 7’6”.
He sees everything from a higher angle, he said, which “gives me an advantage during a game.” “I was always taller than the rest of my friends at school or teammates,” he said. “This is what nature planned for me. I learned to be peaceful and happy about it.” Rioux comes from a tall family, making his height slightly less of an outlier. His dad is 6’8” and his mom is 6’2”, according to Guinness.