Meet Olivier Rioux, the tallest basketball player in the world – who’s an NBA prospect
The Canadian-born Florida Gators basketball player stands at a staggering 236cm – taller than Gheorghe Mureşan, Manute Bol and Sun Mingming
If you think Gheorghe Mureşan and Manute Bol, both of whom are 231cm (7ft 7 inches) tall, or even Sun Mingming, who stands at a mighty 236cm (7ft 8.9 inches), are the tallest basketball players in the world, think again. College basketballer Olivier Rioux, 20, now holds the record, with a staggering height of 236cm (7ft 9 inches). He made it to the Guinness Book of World Records in 2021 as the tallest teenager when he was 226cm (7ft 5 inches) tall.
So, what else do we know about Olivier Rioux?
What’s Olivier Rioux’s background?
Olivier Rioux was born on February 2, 2006, in Terrebonne, Quebec, Canada. He grew up in Anjou with his parents, Jean-François Rioux and Anne Gariépy, and his older brother, Émile, who also plays basketball, reports People.
Being tall is in his genes – his father is 203cm (6ft 8 inches), his mother is 188cm (6ft 2 inches), and Émile is 206cm (6ft 9 inches). “I was always taller than the rest of my friends at school or teammates. This is what nature planned for me. I learned to be peaceful and happy about it,” he told Guinness.
Rioux’s parents played volleyball, but have now retired, per People. His father took up a job at a packaging company after years of working in photography, but is still passionate about the art. His mother works at the Royal Bank of Canada.