Watch out Wemby, there’s a new giant in town.
Florida men’s basketball star Olivier Rioux is the new big man on campus and showing no signs of slowing down.
Rioux is a giant and could be March Madness’ next big iconGettyLast year, the 19-year-old Canadian extended his own Guinness World Record as the tallest teenager in the world by measuring in at a gargantuan 7ft 9in.
Just eight weeks prior, the towering teen from Montreal was listed at a ginormous 7ft 7in, meaning he’d grown a whole two inches in just as many months.
Rioux played high school ball at powerhouse private school IMG Academy in Florida before committing to the Gators, and was already the world’s tallest teenager prior to joining the Division-I school.
According to the Gators’ website, the 290lbs freshman was 6ft 1in when was just eight years old.
He continued to grow at an unbelievable rate and passed the seven foot mark prior to the seventh grade.
In 2019, he was invited to play a tournament for European giants Real Madrid in Spain.
Rioux was listed at just over 7ft 5in aged 16, which was when he entered the Guinness World Record book as the world’s tallest teenager.
Now, he’s just three inches shy of 8ft and potentially the biggest baller to ever play in D-1 history.
“It’s absolutely insane how well he moves at 7-foot-9. Wow!” one fan posted in reaction to his viral highlights package.
Rioux would be the tallest NBA player ever if he makes it to the leagueX@CourtsideFilms He towers over much smaller defendersX@CollinRugg The Canadian is officially the tallest teenager in the worldInstagram@olivier.rioux“What are they feeding these kids?” joked another.
“With the whole Rioux family being tall [his father is 6ft 8in and his mother is 6ft 2in], Olivier’s childhood home was updated to accommodate everyone’s stature,” Guinness wrote when presenting him with the record.
“Tabletops, and ceilings are all higher than average. The only thing that remains the same is the doorframes, which have seen their fair share of collisions with the top of Olivier’s head.
“As a child, Olivier spent hours looking through his Guinness World Records books, studying the tallest people, and comparing himself to every record holder. After failing to find someone taller than him in the 2015 and 2016 editions of the books, Olivier was inspired to achieve the title himself and recalls being “emotionally shocked and relieved that (he) finally got it!”
Rioux still has a long way to go to make it to the NBA, but if he does, he would be the tallest player in league history.
He is so big, in fact, that he towered over the 7ft 1in Shaquille O’Neal when the pair met earlier this year.
The Gators star will be hard to miss in the upcoming NCAA TournamentGetty Rioux towered over 7fter Shaq when they recently metShaqDieselONeal, TikTok Even O’Neal was stunned by how big the teenager isShaqDieselONeal, TikTokSan Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama is the tallest player in The Association today.
As things stand, 7ft 7in titans Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol are the tallest players in NBA history.
Wemby is listed at 7ft 4in – some five inches shorter than Rioux.
The French superstar has been described as a generational talent by experts and likened to a ‘unicorn’ and an ‘alien’ for his unique blend of size, skill, athleticism, shooting and defensive prowess.
Rioux, meanwhile, is much more of a traditional center who does his best work inside the paint where he can tower over opponents and dunk on them — much like Shaq.
247sports said the 305lbs low post menace “takes up immense space on the floor but isn’t the most fleet of foot.
“In short minutes, Rioux can come into a game to clog the paint, shield opponents away from the rim and be a serviceable rebounder.
“He does have pretty good hands and touch on the offensive side of the ball but will need to continue developing his coordination especially in quick reaction circumstances.”
Wemby is the current tallest player in the league – at 7ft 4inGetty Rioux’s game is a lot like that of Grizzlies star EdeyGettyRioux’s game is more like two-time NCAA player of the year Zach Edey than Wembanyama’s.
Like Rioux, 7ft 4in fellow Canadian Edey is a low-post menace without much of a 3-ball.
Edey enjoyed a stellar college career and led the Purdue Boilermakers to back-to-back Big Ten regular season titles and a trip to the 2024 NCAA Tournament championship game – which they lost to the UConn Huskies.
He is now playing with the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA.
Rioux, on the other hand, will be focused on guiding the Gators to a national title in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Florida coach Todd Golden thinks his center has come on leaps and bounds in recent times.
“He’s way more athletic now than when he got here, and we always thought of Ollie is kind of a longer-term project so to speak. … He’s been incredibly coachable. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do from a practice standpoint. I still feel good about his opportunity and his potential to become a good player,” Golden said.
The Gators won 24 games and reached the SEC tournament final two seasons ago before losing to Colorado 103-100 in the first round of the 2024 NCAA tournament.
This season, the Gators won the SEC Championship, defeating Tennessee 86-77 to earn their first SEC tournament championship since 2014.
Top-seeded Florida are now one of the favorites to make a deep March Madness run.
Florida are in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament and will next play Norfolk State on Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Beyond the NCAA Tournament, a tryout with the Canadian national team awaits Rioux, and possibly a career in the NBA.
How to watch March Madness in the UK
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March Madness is one of the most exciting times of the year for basketball fans, with a total of 68 teams battling it out to become the Division 1 college champions.
This year UConn have the chance to become only the second team ever to complete a March Madness three-peat, having emerged victorious for the last two years.
talkSPORT will have the latest news on the tournament, but for UK basketball fans the way to watch is through Sky Sports. The broadcaster will be showing EVERY March Madness game through their Sky Sports + streaming service.
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