‘An Actual Giant!’ Record-Breaking 7-Foot-9 College Basketball Player Drops Jaws On Social Media

Joe DePaolo Nov 9th, 2025, 12:59 pm

(AP Photo/Chris Watkins)

And you thought Shaq was tall.

Florida redshirt freshman Olivier Rioux — standing a massive 7-foot-9 — made history on Saturday by becoming the tallest player ever to take the court in a college basketball game.

With just over two minutes remaining in Florida’s blowout victory over North Florida, Rioux entered the contest to raucous cheers from the crowd inside the Stephen O’Connell Center in Gainesville.

Rioux did not score during his cameo on Saturday. But the visuals from his brief appearance were something to behold. Trey Cady , the unlucky Norther Florida player who drew the assignment guarding Rioux, looked positi

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