Olivier Rioux

Rioux was born in Terrebonne, Quebec, and began playing basketball at age five. He attracted international attention with the French Phenoms at age 12, when he was already 6 feet 10 inches tall. He later played for Real Madrid, Brookwood Elite and other Canadian AAU teams before attending IMG Academy in Florida.

His height developed rapidly during childhood. He stood 6 feet 1 inch at age eight, reached 6 feet 11 inches by sixth grade and passed 7 feet during the summer before seventh grade. Guinness World Records recognized him as the tallest teenager in the world in 2021, when he measured 7 feet 5 inches at age 15.

Rioux has attributed his stature to family genetics. His father, Jean-François Rioux, is 6 feet 8 inches, his mother, Anne Gariépy, is 6 feet 2 inches, and his older brother, Émile Rioux, is 6 feet 9 inches. Jean-François and Anne are former volleyball players, while family members have also participated in swimming and other sports.

Rioux committed to the University of Florida in November 2023 and reclassified from the 2025 recruiting class to the class of 2024. He joined the Gators as a preferred walk-on and entered college listed at 7 feet 9 inches. He took a redshirt season in 2024-25 to work on strength, conditioning and agility while competing with Florida's scout team.

Rioux made his collegiate debut for Florida against North Florida on November 6, 2025. Entering during the closing minutes of a 104-64 victory, he became the tallest player in college basketball history to appear in a game. He made 11 appearances during the season, totaling seven points and six rebounds, and recorded a dunk and two rebounds against Prairie View A&M in the NCAA Tournament.

After entering the transfer portal, Rioux transferred to the University of California, Irvine, where he joined the UC Irvine Anteaters of the Big West Conference.

Rioux first represented Canada at the 2021 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Mexico. He helped Canada win a bronze medal while averaging 8.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game over six games.

He went on to play at the 2022 FIBA Under-17 World Cup in Spain, averaging 2.7 points and 4.7 rebounds. At the 2023 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Hungary, he averaged 3.2 points and 3.4 rebounds, and he later competed for Canada at the 2024 FIBA Under-18 AmeriCup and the 2025 FIBA Under-19 World Cup.

His 2024 Under-18 AmeriCup campaign ended with another bronze medal. He averaged 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in the tournament, including 10 points against Venezuela and nine rebounds against Puerto Rico.

Rioux's stature affects many ordinary aspects of his life. He has to duck under most doorways, has sometimes hit his head on door frames and has difficulty finding clothes that fit. His bed at home was tailored to accommodate his height, and he wears size 20 shoes.

He has described his height as both an advantage and a challenge. On the basketball court, his greater angle of view helps him see over other players, while outside games he is frequently approached by people asking his height or requesting photographs. Rioux has said that growing up with his tall father and brother helped his family become accustomed to that attention.

In 2023, Rioux shared a photograph connected to Jamal Murray, who had asked him for a picture when Rioux was 12 and 6 feet 10 inches tall. Murray is also Canadian and later won an NBA championship with the Denver Nuggets.