Ollie’s Big Moment: 7-Foot-9 Olivier Rioux Becomes Tallest Player Ever in College Hoops

It was a moment the Florida Gators faithful—and the entire college basketball world—had been waiting for. On November 6, 2025, in a 104-64 win over North Florida, Olivier “Ollie” Rioux took the floor for his first official minutes as a Florida Gators player. At 7 feet 9 inches tall and 305 pounds, the Canadian phenom didn’t just make his debut—he shattered the record, becoming the tallest player ever to appear in a college basketball game.

From Redshirt to Record-Breaker

Rioux arrived in Gainesville in the 2024 recruiting class as a “preferred walk-on” after a high school career at IMG Academy. Despite his towering presence, he chose—or was coached—to redshirt the 2024-25 campaign. That meant hours in the gym, practicing with the first team, but no games. It was a strategic decision to preserve eligibility and to sharpen his skills without burning a year. When the season tipped off, he remained a mystery: fans chanted “Oli, Oli, Oli,” eager to see him in game action. Coaches held out. The tipping point came late in the first game of the 2025-26 season.

Making History: The Debut and Subsequent Firsts

With Florida comfortably ahead, head coach Todd Golden finally sent Rioux in with 2:09 left on the clock. Though he didn’t touch the ball that night, his mere appearance set a new NCAA entrance record. Rioux didn’t stay scoreless for long: a few weeks later he made his first point on a free throw, then followed it up with his first field goal—a late-game dunk in a blowout win over Saint Francis. In between, he became the tallest player to ever score in NCAA history. His height gives him an edge unlike any other, but while his stat sheet is still light, the symbolic weight of those firsts is enormous.

Standing Above Legends—and Learning to Grow

Rioux doesn’t just tower over college centers; he’s taller than NBA legends. At 7'9", he surpasses Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol (both 7'7"), Yao Ming and Shawn Bradley (7'6"), and even Victor Wembanyama, who stands “only” 7'4". As of late 2024, Guinness World Records had already declared him the tallest teenager in the world, when he was still 7'5". It’s clear that this is no publicity stunt—he’s physiologically distinct.

Coach Golden has been blunt about the development process: Ollie is learning the subtleties of post defense, how to move his weight, even get through doorways without ducking. His 305-pound frame is still being shaped for college-level aggression in the paint. Though most of his offseason work involved bench drills and weight room reps, he’s made strides in conditioning, coordination, and quiet moments in practice that signal potential.

The Road Ahead: Expectations and Reality

Florida’s frontcourt is stacked—Rueben Chinyelu, Micah Handlogten, Thomas Haugh among them—so Rioux isn’t expected to dominate minutes anytime soon. Golden has emphasized that Rioux will continue to work his way in during blowouts and use game exposure to build confidence. He won’t have to light up the stat sheet immediately. For “Oli,” whose trajectory is still unfolding, every minute matters.

Rioux’s height brings its own challenges off the court too. His size is not only remarkable—it’s disruptive to daily life. He wears size-20 shoes. He ducks through doorways. Even beds and furniture require custom adjustments. But he embraces it all with a humility rare for someone whose mere body paints viral moments.

On the court, his hooks and put-backs are becoming signature moves. With each appearance, however brief, he’s rewritten what’s possible in NCAA basketball—not just as the tallest ever, but as a player with room to grow.

Olivier Rioux’s debut didn’t just add his name to the University of Florida roster—it etched his place in history. He is, quite definitively, the tallest player ever in college basketball. But the story—his story—is far from over. Between nicknames, milestones, and put-backs, Ollie is slowly proving that while you can’t fake height, you can build greatness from it.