Young basketball player Olivier Rioux is so tall that he's setting records simply by continuing his education.
The 18-year-old Montreal native recently graduated from high school and has committed to Florida. The school lists his height at a mind-blowing 7-foot-9. That would make him the tallest college basketball player in history.
Rioux measuring at 7-9 is the result of a bit of a growth spurt. When Ballislife.com filmed him in November 2023, he was listed at 7-foot-6.
A three-inch gain over seven months is massive, especially for a guy who was already in the Guinness Book of World Records just two years ago for being the world's tallest teenager. He was 16 then, and already 7-foot-5. He told the Guinness Book of World Records website that his height is likely the result of having two very tall (though not record-breaking) parents.
We're still not <strong>100%</strong> sure why I'm so tall - after investigation, doctors could only explain it with the genetics that my family has. My father is 6'8, my mom is 6'2 and my older brother is 6'9. So we're a <strong>pretty tall family</strong>! 👨👩👦👦📏
Unsurprisingly, Rioux has been tall pretty much since he's been able to stand upright. According to his Florida profile, he was 6-foot-1 at just eight years old, and was 6-foot-11 by the time he was in sixth grade, roughly four years later. He'd shot past the seven-foot mark by the start of seventh grade.
If you're having a hard time imagining what someone that tall looks like next to someone of average height, here you go.
And here's how Rioux looked playing basketball as a 6-11 12-year-old.
According to GatorsWire, Rioux is considered a "developmental project" so not much is expected of him as a freshman. Then again, no one expected a 7-5 16-year-old to grow four inches in two years, so anything is possible.