World's tallest teenager goes viral as he begins college basketball career

Olivier Rioux was denied a college basketball debut on Monday as he watched from the bench as the Florida Gators beat the South Florida Bulls 98-83.

Rioux, 18, struggled to even fit on the bench as the tallest teenager in the world, but Florida head coach Todd Golden is hopeful he can become a star.

Rioux was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2024 and rejected offers from Stetson and Florida Atlantic to commit to the Gators program.

Golden believes that Florida has one of the most unique players in basketball, as Rioux is listed at 7-foot-9 and 305 pounds.

The 18-year-old is from Quebec, Canada, and holds a Guinness World Record for being the tallest teenager in the world.

When he makes his debut for the Gators, he will instantly become the tallest college basketball player of all time.

Caitlin Clark shows true colors with two-word message after Unrivaled deal Caitlin Clark was 'floored' by Olympic hero Simone Biles in WNBA locker room Due to his immense size, clips of Rioux in practice and around the Florida campus have gone viral, as he makes his teammates and fellow students look tiny.

Cooper Josefsberg, a sophomore guard for the Gators, has seen one of his videos filmed alongside Rioux viewed over 230,000 times on TikTok.

Josefsberg is listed at 6-foot-4 but doesn't even reach Rioux's shoulder as his teammate towers over everyone.

In another clip of Rioux during a team practice, he was able to dunk without even jumping off the ground.

@coopjosefsberg Post scrimmage dubbbb @olivierrioux original sound - NBA Basketball Moves Although Florida is excited to unleash Rioux, Golden doesn't believe that the freshman is ready and he could be a redshirt to prolong his college eligibility.

"We look at him as a long-term investment, where if he continues to buy into our program and our coaches and our system that he will continue to develop into a player who can help us consistently," Golden said of Rioux.

"Hes not there yet and it might take him a while, but hes definitely one of the most unique players in America.

The great thing in our minds is we think he has potential to play at some point.

Hes more than just a 7-9 guy.

"Hes had some really good moments in practice, super coachable and Im excited for him to get to this point next year and kind of see where were at.

He has flashes in practice where hell make some plays and youre like, 'Whoa.' Like, obviously, we cant do that with anybody else." Rioux comes from a giant family, with his mom listed at 6-foot-2 and his dad 6-foot-8.

His older brother is 6-foot-9, but Rioux has outgrown them all.

Rioux knew from a very early age he was different and stood at 6 feet by the age of 8.

He surpassed the 7-foot mark before starting seventh grade and has become used to being recognized for his height throughout life.

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"You dont have a single three seconds to yourself when youre outside, which I was fine with because my brother and my dad are tall.

And, as a family, we used to go out.

Thats just how it was, and you cant change that because people are curious." Rioux also believes that being Canadian helps, with the nation often stereotyped as being polite and friendly.

"It does help to be Canadian," Rioux added quipped.

"You just get used to it.

Talking to people is nice because they are curious, and you cant change that.".

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