Watch out Shaq, there’s a new giant in town.Florida men’s basketball star Olivier Rioux is the new big man on campus and showing no signs of slowing down as March Madness 2026 gets underway.A career in the NBA possibly await Rioux, but he’s still got a long way to goMeet the former world’s tallest teen, Olivier RiouxIn 2024, the 20-year-old Canadian extended his own Guinness World Record as the tallest teenager in the world by measuring in at a gargantuan 7ft 9in.Just eight weeks prior, the towering youngster from Montreal was listed at a ginormous 7ft 7in, meaning he’d grown a whole two inches in just as many months.Rioux played high school ball at powerhouse private school IMG Academy in Florida before committing to the Gators, and was already the world’s tallest teenager prior to joining the Division-I school.According to the Gators’ website, the 305lbs freshman was 6ft 1in when he was just eight years old.He continued to grow at an unbelievable rate and passed the seven foot mark prior to the seventh grade.In 2019, he was invited to play a tournament for European giants Real Madrid in Spain.Rioux was listed at just over 7ft 5in aged 16, which was when he entered the Guinness World Record book as the world’s tallest teenager.Now, he’s just three inches shy of 8ft and the biggest baller in college basketball.“With the whole Rioux family being tall [his father is 6ft 8in and his mother is 6ft 2in], Olivier’s childhood home was updated to accommodate everyone’s stature,” Guinness wrote when presenting him with the record at the time.Rioux scored a put-back dunk on his March Madness debutGettyView Tweet: https://t.co/t5ftL13mJiOlivier Rioux makes NCAA Tournament history before hilarious viral momentRioux recently became the tallest player ever to appear in the NCAA Tournament.With just under nine minutes left in No.1 Florida’s 114-55 first-round rout of Prairie View A&M, the Canadian entered the contest before delivering a put-back dunk.“It feels amazing,” Rioux said afterwards.Prior to Friday’s first-round game, he has appeared in ten matches this season, clocking up just 15 minutes of play. Over his 10 appearances, he scored 5 points and grabbed four boards over 14 minutes.Speaking about Rioux’s limited chances at the beginning of this year, coach Todd Golden told ESPN: “I know he’s sitting over there probably like, ‘Damn man, I didn’t know all these guys were coming back.’“So it’s going to be a tough one this year to play. It really will be. But…I do think he has some really good basketball ahead of him, whether it’s here at Florida or somewhere else.”“I think a lot of people don’t really know what I’m committed to doing,” Rioux told ESPN. “Obviously, you see a highlight here and there, but you don’t see what the person is capable of doing. I want to push myself to be able to do that.”An exchange between Rioux and Prairie View A&M’s Hassane Diallo went viralGettyDiallo was in awe as he looked up at the 7ft 9in giantGettyEarlier this season, Rioux became the tallest player to play in a college basketball game. the tallest player to score in a game, and the tallest player to make a field goal in a game.He finally made his March Madness debut this week after fans chanted for him to enter the game against Prairie View A&M.Some might have missed him also being involved in a hilarious viral moment with Prairie View A&M’s Hassane Diallo.The 6ft 8in Diallo could be seen looking up in awe at Rioux as he stood next to him, seemingly in disbelief as he asked if the Canadian was a freshman.“Yep,” a laser-focused Rioux replied. “You BIG boy!” Diallo responded.Rioux finished the contest with two points, two rebounds, and one assist.Next up for the Gators is a second round clash with No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes on Sunday.View Tweet: https://t.co/rXP5a94sCKThe towering center has seen limited game time this season and has had to wait patiently for minutesGettyHe redshirted last season as the No. 1 seeded Gators went all the way and won the NCAA TournamentGettyHe redshirted his first season with the national champion GatorsRioux celebrated the one-seeded Gators winning the 2025 NCAA Tournament last year.Florida defeated the Houston Cougars 65-63 in a nail-biter in San Antonio to claim their first March Madness title since 2007.However, Rioux did not play for Florida during their run at The Dance, including their championship game against the Cougars, as he decided to redshirt the season.Redshirting refers to a college athlete who is withdrawn from university sporting events for a year to develop their skills and extend their period of playing eligibility by a further year at said level of competition.He joined in the celebrations after the NCAA title win though, with viral footage showing him cutting down the net without the use of a ladder.Rioux towered over 7fter Shaq when they recently metShaqDieselONeal, TikTokEven O’Neal was stunned by how big the teenager isShaqDieselONeal, TikTokRioux still has a long way to go to make it to the NBA, but if he does, he would be the tallest player in league history.He is so big, in fact, that he towered over the 7ft 1in Shaquille O’Neal when the pair met.San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama is the tallest player in The Association today.As things stand, 7ft 7in titans Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol are the tallest players in NBA history.Wemby is listed at 7ft 4in – some five inches shorter than Rioux.The French superstar has been described as a generational talent by experts and likened to a ‘unicorn’ and an ‘alien’ for his unique blend of size, skill, athleticism, shooting and defensive prowess.Rioux, meanwhile, is much more of a traditional center who does his best work inside the paint where he can tower over opponents and dunk on them — much like Shaq.247sports said the 305lbs low post menace “takes up immense space on the floor but isn’t the most fleet of foot. 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