Florida big man Olivier Rioux makes history, becomes tallest college basketball player ever

In college basketball, there are big men -- and then there is Florida's Olivier Rioux. 

Yes, there is a difference.

Rioux, a 7-foot-9 center from Canada, made history for his size on Thursday night when he checked in for his first college minutes and in the process became the tallest ever to appear in a game in college basketball history. He finished the game with no official statistics after checking in to play the final 2:09 of Florida's 104-64 win over North Florida.

"It felt great," Rioux, who redshirted his first season with the Gators, said after the game. "The support from everybody was amazing, even on the bench and even the fans. I think everybody supported me. I'm very grateful."

Rioux, 19, has long been a literal record-breaker for his size -- in 2021, Guinness World Records declared him the tallest teenager in the world at 7-foot-5 -- so Thursday's new record was just business as usual for him, he said postgame.

"It's another day, I guess," he said.

Rioux was 6-foot-1 as an eight-year-old and 6-foot-11 by sixth grade, according to his bio page on Florida's website. He reached the seven-foot threshold before entering seventh grade. Ironically, for someone who is impossible to miss, he says if he could have one superpower it would be invisibility.

Rioux briefly tried out for the Florida football team earlier this summer in hopes of using his length to block kicks, but Gators coach Todd Golden said the staff was "a little disappointed." Apparently being 7-foot-9 isn't particularly useful on the gridiron if you only have an 11-inch vertical.

Olivier Rioux, Florida basketball's 7-foot-9 center, works out for Gators football team

Austin Nivison

Florida is coming off a national championship season in which Rioux played a big role as a scout team member, and the team has high hopes for his development. The former three-star recruit could have some opportunities this season but he'll have to work for them behind a stacked frontcourt that features returning starter Rueben Chinyelu and fellow 7-footer Micah Handlogten.

"It's really neat for him to finally see the floor," Golden said Thursday, adding that fans were chanting Rioux's name at halftime in an effort to get him into the game. "I would have liked to see him get a touch. But it'll happen for him. Excited for him to get the opportunity to play in a Division I game."