Florida center Olivier Rioux, who stands 7’9″, made history on Thursday by becoming the tallest player to appear in a Division I college basketball game.
Rioux, a redshirt freshman, played the final 2:09 of Florida’s 104-64 home win over North Florida.
Rioux didn’t amass any statistics in his two-plus minutes on the court, but there obviously wasn’t a great opportunity to do so in a small amount of time.
Rioux, who is from Terrebonne, Quebec in Canada, played high school basketball at IMG Academy in Florida. He was a 3-star prospect in the class of 2024 and also received offers from Florida Atlantic and Stetson before committing to Florida in Nov. 2023.
The Guinness World Record holder for the tallest teenager has played for Canada at numerous international events, such as the 2024 U18 FIBA AmeriCup. Canada took third place at the event.
As for the No. 3 Gators, they are now 1-1 after previously falling 93-87 to the No. 13 Arizona Wildcats to begin the season. They’ll look to move over .500 on Tuesday when they host their in-state rival, Florida State.
