There aren’t many basketball players greater than Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, but the Los Angeles Lakers legend may have met his match in a recent social media video.
O’Neal posted a TikTok skit on his account on Saturday. He was seen arguing with a man shorter than him, then turning around to find 7-foot, 9-inch Florida Gators center Olivier Rioux standing behind him.
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Florida Gators center Olivier Rioux, #32, sits on the bench with his teammates as the Florida Gators hosted the Grambling Tigers in the Exactech Zone at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla. on Monday (11 November 2024. (Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun)
“Choose someone your size,” O’Neal captioned the video.
Rioux made O’Neal look like a guard rather than a dominant center. The 15-time All-Star was listed at 7-foot-1 during his playing days.
Rioux was considered the tallest teenager in the world when he committed to Florida. Rioux was the Guinness World Record holder for tallest teenager, measuring 7 feet 5 inches at the age of 15. He was 6 feet 1 inch tall at age 8; 6 feet 11 inches in sixth grade; and grew to 7 feet during the summer before entering seventh grade.
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Shaquille O’Neal looks on before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden in Boston on June 6, 2024. (David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports)
Rioux has since experienced another growth spurt, gaining four inches in the last two years, according to Ball Is Life.
Rioux previously said he wears a size 20 shoe on his Instagram bio. He says his older brother is 6 feet 9 inches tall; his father is 6 feet 8 inches tall; and his mother is 6 feet 1 inch tall. He played high school ball at IMG Academy and was a three-star prospect.
Florida Gators center Olivier Rioux, #32, gives a high-five to a fan after the game. The Florida Gators hosted the Grambling Tigers in the Exactech Zone at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida on Monday, November 11, 2024. (Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun)
The Canadian has yet to appear in a game for the Gators, as he decided to redshirt his freshman year.
