Gators' Olivier Rioux Embracing Record-Breaking Height in New Scenery

Florida Gators freshman center Olivier Rioux may be the world's tallest teenager at 7 feet 9 inches tall, but he's more than just his height.

Florida Gators center Olivier Rioux (32) shoots hook shots as the Florida Gators men’s basketball team held a practice on John W. Frost II Practice Court in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun] / Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- There's not many like Olivier Rioux.

That's not a euphemism or symbolic or anything of the sort. There's quite literally not many people on the planet who are like Rioux, the 7-foot, 9-inch freshman center on the Florida Gators' men's basketball team.

The Guinness World Record holder for being the world's tallest teenager, the 18-year-old Rioux embraces his impressive height. Coming from a family of tall individuals - his dad is 6 feet 8 inches, his mom is 6 feet 2 inches and his brother is 6 feet 9 inches - his general day-to-day life has prepared him for the spotlight outside of being a basketball player.

"I mean, you get asked questions every day. You don't have a single three seconds to yourself when you're outside, which I was fine with because my brother and my dad are tall," Rioux said. "And, as a family, we used to go out. "That's just how it was, and you can't change that because people are curious."

That curiosity has now extended to a very public forum as a student at the University of Florida. Rioux said he is consistently stopped by people who ask about his height and ask for pictures. He explained he had already stopped for three selfies in the morning leading up to Friday's media availability.

On Saturdays while the football team is playing, that number grows exponentially with the nearly 90,000 fans in attendance for games. He doesn't shy away from the attention even if he doesn't seek it out.

"Yeah, he doesn’t seek the attention. But he also doesn’t get annoyed at the people that ask," fellow 7-footer Micah Handlogten said. "He embraces it because it’s part of him - and he loves that. So if someone comes up and asks for pictures, he’s like, ‘Yeah, of course.’ And he always has that bright smile on his face. So, it’s awesome.”

In fact, Handlogten used to be in Rioux's shoes - Not literally, of course. Rioux wears a size 20 - Now, however, Handlogten has seen the attention immediately transition towards Rioux when the two are out in public together..

"But being around him just about every day, it’s just different," Handlogten said. "When you’re out in public with him. I’m 7-1, people normally come out and ask me, ‘You’re so tall. Do you play basketball?’ No one says a word to me (anymore). Everyone just looks up to him, it’s kinda crazy. It’s amazing the way he embraces it. He doesn’t shy away from it."

There was even a viral moment between the two earlier in camp as Handlogten, who is still recovering from a season-ending broken ankle from last season, jumped to high-five Rioux during layup lines.

"That's what we do every time we do that. We just do the layup lines, and he's there," Rioux said. "Just kind of normal stuff. I wasn't surprised. I was just, yeah, that's what it is. That's who I am. You can't change that."

How tall is Olivier Rioux?

Wait until he high-fives 7’1” center Micah Handlogten 💀💀 pic.twitter.com/PZlz16XNgh

— Talia Baia (@talia_baia) October 1, 2024

Rioux's height is a rarity, and it affects his day-to-day life unsurprisingly. He has to duck under most doorways, online orders a lot of his clothing and even had a custom bed growing up, but he said the queen-sized mattress he has in the shared living space with Isaiah Brown, Viktor Mikic and Rueben Chinyelu fits enough.

That's the way it's been for most of his life, though. He reached the 7-foot mark as a 12-year-old and hit the 6-foot mark a year earlier.

"I was taller than my teacher," Rioux said.

But Rioux is more than just his height.

He likes drawing. He likes to spend a lot of his free time outdoors. He's an overall nice guy, which he credits a lot of to his Canadian roots. He also wants to emphasize that his name isn't "Oliver" but "Olivier" (pronounced O-liv-ee-ay).

He's also an extremely hard worker, as evidenced by his practice habits, where he says the work has been hard, but, like his height, he embraces it nonetheless.

“I stay after practice because I don't have time in between classes to shoot," he said. "So I stay around 20 (minutes) to an hour just to shoot. After that, I run or I do something that is cardio-wise just pick it up. And the numbers have been good, so I’m happy about that.” 

Now, Rioux won't be expected to play much this season. The Gators will heavily rely on transfers Rueben Chinyelu and Sam Alexis alongside rising sophomores Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh to handle the front court.

As a result, Rioux has spent the early portion of his time in Gainesville focus on his development and adjusting to the conditioning of an SEC-level program. However, that hasn't stopped him from chasing a goal of seeing the court this season.

"To be able to play but also to be able to improve every day," he said." Just got to improve every day. That's mostly what it's about. One percent better, even if it's not basketball."

Rioux is also more than just a dunker or a rebounder. In fact, when asked on Friday what were his biggest strengths, the first thing he said was his passing, in which he tries to emulate Magic Johnson.

Of course, the dunks, rebounds and overall abilities of a 7-footer will come if he sees the floor. Rioux hasn't played yet, but he's quickly become a fan-favorite with an incredible story behind and ahead of him. It wouldn't be a surprise if, given the opportunity, the famed Rowdy Reptile student section chants Rioux's name for his first minutes as a Gator, whenever that may be.

"I do expect it to be a little bit rowdy and stuff like that, because I am tall and people like that," Rioux said. "And people like that I’m Canadian and stuff like that.”

Only time will tell, though, for if that happens this season. Nonetheless, Rioux will stand out whether he plays or not, and the attention is something he's perfectly fine with.