Florida Gators redshirt freshman Olivier Rioux has been generating buzz in March Madness. Not because he's playing a lot of minutes or even important minutes, but because of his height.
At 7-foot-9, Rioux is the tallest player in college basketball history. He's three inches taller than Yao Ming and two inches taller than Manute Bol. He was 7-foot-7 as a 16-year-old, which made him the Guisness World Record holder for tallest teenager ever recorded. Here he is standing next to 6-foot-8 Prairie View A&M forward Hassane Diallo:
Sizing up the tallest player in college basketball history pic.twitter.com/dvzaFaBqiZ
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 21, 2026
Is Olivier Rioux an NBA Draft prospect?
Short answer: nope.
Not yet, at least. We can never predict the future, but Rioux is a 20-year-old freshman averaging 0.6 points and 0.5 rebounds in 1.5 minutes per game. He is essentially the last player on Florida's bench — a pure garbage time operator. He has appeared in 16 total minutes across 11 games this season.
There's a world in which Rioux slowly works his way up the depth chart and becomes a more integral piece of Florida's rotation down the line. His height sure is a unique and potentially valuable weapon. It's hard not to impact how opponents consider shot attempts at the rim with that height. Rioux should also feast on the defensive glass and potentially dominate mismatches on the block.
That is all pure hypothetical at this point, however. Rioux had three offers coming out of IMG Academy in Florida: the Gators, the Stetson Hatters and the Florida Atlantic Owls. He clearly chose Florida with the understanding that he wouldn't be used more than situationally any time soon, but he'd be on a contender, surrounded by great coaches and players.
How Olivier Rioux can enter the NBA conversation down the road
There are certain undeniable benefits to being 7-foot-9 and 305 pounds. Rioux can set wide screens, wall off defenders in the post, sunction off the paint for rebounds and alter opponets' shots just by putting his arms up.
The dream outcome for a center in Rioux's mold is probably 7-foot-4 Grizzlies center and former top-10 pick Zach Edey. But he was the best player in college basketball for two years running, executing with incredible grace and efficiency on the block. His footwork, touch and IQ are miles and miles ahead of anything Rioux, a situational player in high school, has shown to date.
Development is seldom linear and plenty of surprising prospects emerge from unexpected places. If Rioux can put in the work, hone his post skills and become a dependable offensive weapon for Florida, NBA scouts will at least review the tape.
But there are also downsides to occupying Rioux's massive frame. He simply is not very light on his feet, which makes him vulnerable in space defensively. If the opponent as a big who can space the floor and draw Rioux out of the paint, he's not going to recover against quick backdoor cuts or bursty guards who can get downhill. Put him on the floor against an opponent who likes to push the tempo, and Rioux can't keep up.
There is a place in the NBA for situational bigs who can change the geometry of the floor in short bursts against specific matchups. Case and point: Boban Marjanovic. But Rioux is still behind the eight ball, even for such a limited utility. So while an NBA future is not entirely out of the question, he has a long way to go and a lot to prove at the college level before that conversation holds any weight.