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Ishani Sarkar

If you think Gheorghe Mureşan and Manute Bol, both of whom are 231cm (7ft 7 inches) tall, or even Sun Mingming, who stands at a mighty 236cm (7ft 8.9 inches), are the tallest basketball players in the world, think again. College basketballer Olivier Rioux, 20, now holds the record, with a staggering height of 236cm (7ft 9 inches). He made it to the Guinness Book of World Records in 2021 as the tallest teenager when he was 226cm (7ft 5 inches) tall.












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The Canadian centre has been making headlines ever since he hit the hardwood with the University of Florida’s men’s basketball team, the Florida Gators, in 2025. However, the NBA prospect recently announced that he would be entering the upcoming transfer portal that opens on April 7.
So, what else do we know about Olivier Rioux?
What’s Olivier Rioux’s background?

Olivier Rioux was born on February 2, 2006, in Terrebonne, Quebec, Canada. He grew up in Anjou with his parents, Jean-François Rioux and Anne Gariépy, and his older brother, Émile, who also plays basketball, reports People.
Being tall is in his genes – his father is 203cm (6ft 8 inches), his mother is 188cm (6ft 2 inches), and Émile is 206cm (6ft 9 inches). “I was always taller than the rest of my friends at school or teammates. This is what nature planned for me. I learned to be peaceful and happy about it,” he told Guinness.
Rioux’s parents played volleyball, but have now retired, per People. His father took up a job at a packaging company after years of working in photography, but is still passionate about the art. His mother works at the Royal Bank of Canada.
How did he get into basketball?

Rioux started playing basketball when he was five years old, per the Guinness World Records website. “The opposing team would often question my age, because even as a five-year-old I was much taller than the other kids!” he recalled.
For high school, he moved to Florida and attended IMG Academy. He also represented Canada at the 2023 U18 FIBA AmeriCup, leading his home country to a bronze medal. He spent the 2024–25 season with the Florida Gators as a redshirt while playing on the scout team.
What are his other interests?

Coming from a family of swimmers, Rioux took up competitive swimming and played football when he was younger, per his Florida Gators bio. Besides sports, Rioux is interested in outer space, environmental science, and making abstract art. He enjoys watching films like The Maze Runner (2014) and considers Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) one of his “favourite heroes”, per the Guinness Book of World Records website. He’s also an avid reader, counting Anne Robillard’s The Knights of Emerald novels among his favourites.


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The Canadian-born Florida Gators basketball player stands at a staggering 236cm – taller than Gheorghe Mureşan, Manute Bol and Sun Mingming


The Canadian-born Florida Gators basketball player stands at a staggering 236cm – taller than Gheorghe Mureşan, Manute Bol and Sun Mingming.


Meet Olivier Rioux, the tallest basketball player in the world – who’s an NBA prospect

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Canadian-born Florida Gators basketball player stands at a staggering 236cm – taller than Gheorghe Mureşan, Manute Bol and Sun Mingming

The Canadian-born Florida Gators basketball player stands at a staggering 236cm – taller than Gheorghe Mureşan, Manute Bol and Sun Mingming