The Canadian towers over his opponents, even in a sport for the very tall. But his attributes may not suit the modern game
For those of you out there who might describe yourselves as “tall,” meet Olivier Rioux, the high schooler who just signed on to play for the University of Florida in the fall. Rioux is absurdly tall – 7ft 9in (for now) to be precise. Whether playing alongside his high school-age teammates or surrounded by them in the huddle, the 300lbs beanpole looks for all the world like one of those adults who passes themselves off as a teenage player just for the thrill of beating up on kids. The only thing about Rioux that’s not tall are his tales.
Rioux has been on a rapid growth curve for some time now: 5ft 2in in kindergarten, 6ft 1in by the time he was eight. By the time he was 12, and 7ft, he would have made the 6ft 9in LeBron James look undersized. Around that time, highlights of him dominating his tragically ill-equipped competition began making the social media rounds, an optical illusion to rival the dress meme. (Are the other kids six feet or six years old?) Four years ago, Guinness World Records pronounced the then 14-year-old Rioux as the world’s tallest teen at 7ft 5in. That would have put Rioux a notch above the 7ft 4in NBA rookie of the year, Victor Wembanyama. He even looms head and shoulders above legendary NBA leviathans such as Gheorghe Mureșan (7ft 7in), Yao Ming (7ft 6in) and Sim Bhullar (7ft 5in). “People see his size,” Canada national team assistant coach Michael Meeks said of Rioux, “and their expectations are pretty high.”