Olivier Rioux

Olivier Rioux (born February 2, 2006) is a Canadian college basketball player for the Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Guinness World Records declared him the tallest teenager in the world in 2021, when aged 15 at 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m). Rioux now stands at 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) or 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) tall.

Early life and high school career

Olivier Rioux was born in Terrebonne on February 2, 2006, to Jean-Francois, a 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) photographer and former volleyball player, and Anne Gariepy, who is 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), and works at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). His 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) older brother, Émile, also played basketball. The family has resided in the Anjou borough of Montreal and the suburb of Beloeil.

Both Olivier and Émile played for multiple Canadian AAA teams. Rioux first gained fame while playing internationally for the French Phenoms at age 12 when he was 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m). He played for Real Madrid and Brookwood Elite prior to attending IMG Academy.

National team career

Rioux first represented Canada at youth level during the 2021 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Mexico. He helped Canada win bronze at the tournament, finishing with averages of 8.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. A year later, he played for Canada at the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup in Spain. He completed the competition averaging 2.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

In June 2023, Rioux was selected to play for Canada at the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup in Hungary. He accumulated averages of 3.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game by the end of the tournament. The following year, at the 2024 FIBA Under-18 AmeriCup in Argentina, Rioux won his second bronze medal at youth level. He finished the event averaging 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.