Tallest player in college basketball history debuts for University of Florida

Florida coach Todd Golden had people yelling at him at halftime Thursday night to get 7-foot-9 center Olivier Rioux in the game.

Golden relented with 2:09 to play — and made history in the process — after chants of “We Want Ollie” swept through the O’Connell Center.

Rioux became the tallest person to ever play college basketball when he made his debut in a 104-64 victory over North Florida. Rioux, a 19-year-old redshirt freshman from Canada and the world’s tallest teenager, drew so much attention from the Ospreys that he didn’t even touch the ball.

“It felt great,” Rioux said. “The support from everybody was amazing, even on the bench and even the fans. I think everybody supported me. I’m very grateful.”

When asked about making history, Rioux quipped: “It’s another day, I guess.”

Rioux made everyone in attendance smile. Even North Florida forward Trey Cady smirked when he measured himself against Rioux. Cady was giving up more than a foot in the matchup.

Rioux is 2 inches (5 centimeters) taller than former NBA giants Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol, and 3 inches taller than popular big men Yao Ming, Tacko Fall and Shawn Bradley. He already owned a spot in the Guinness record book when he signed with Florida in 2024.

Golden gave Rioux the option of playing sparingly last season or taking a redshirt season and working on his game. Rioux chose the latter. Nonetheless, he was a walking viral video, from riding his bike on campus, to ducking under every doorway, to cutting down nets while standing flat-footed during Florida’s NCAA Tournament run.

“He’s put in a lot of great work,” Golden said. “To his credit, he’s kept a great attitude without getting a lot of reward in terms of playing time and opportunity.”

Fans delivered the loudest ovation of the game — second only to Florida unveiling its championship banner during pregame introductions — when Golden motioned to Rioux at the end of the bench. Rioux pulled off his long-sleeved T-shirt and hustled to the scorer’s table to check in.

Teammates and coaches celebrated wildly, and fans screamed every time the ball got near Rioux. He’ll have to wait until his next outing to actually touch it.



(AP Photo Chris Watkins)