Florida native Olivier Rioux is making waves on social media this college basketball season.
On March 20, Rioux added another “first” to his list by playing in Florida’s 2026 NCAA Tournament opener against Prairie View A&M.
The Tampa crowd was left stunned 1:54 into the game when Florida head coach Todd Golden finally gave the go-ahead to Rioux, who throughout the game had chanted, “We want Ollie!”
Olivier Rioux, a redshirt freshman from Florida, took the field with the Gators ahead by 62 points. Thus, Rioux became the tallest player to ever appear in an NCAA tournament game.
Rioux rose to the occasion, scoring a two-handed dunk for his first points in the NCAA Tournament.
The Florida Giant closed out the game with two points, two rebounds and an assist as the Gators defeated Prairie View A&M 114-55.
Who is Olivier Rioux?
Olivier Rioux, a native of Terrebonne, Quebec, Canada, made his debut last season with the Gators in the NCAA tournament.
Rioux is no stranger to records, having previously set the Guinness World Record for tallest teenager in the world at age 16 with a height of 7 feet, 7 inches.
Olivier’s long list of “firsts” doesn’t end there.
Rioux is 7 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 305 pounds.
Earlier this season, Rioux won the title of greatest player to have played at the amateur or professional level.
In total, the 7-foot-7 Florida big man Rioux appeared in 11 games, including six Southeastern Conference games.
Rioux became the tallest player to score a point on Dec. 17, when he made a free throw against Merrimack.
Despite his team losing to No. 1 team Florida in the NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 20, he made waves as the tallest player in college basketball.
