PHOTO: 7’7 feet tall Canadian, Olivier Rioux, is taller than Shaq, Wemby, AND Yao Ming

Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that 7’7 feet tall Canadian, Olivier Rioux, is taller than Shaq, Wemby, AND Yao Ming.

Move over, Victor Wembanyama, there’s a new towering center in town.

Olivier Rioux, who hails from Quebec, stands at 7’7″ and is committing to the Florida Gators for the 2024 season.

“I am proud to announce that I have commited to the Florida gators for the 2024 season,” Rioux wrote on Instagram. “I want to thank all my coaches from @imgabasketball and @brookwoodelite in helping me in this process. The adventure continue [sic] in Florida!”

While Rioux isn’t the first centre at this height to pursue a professional career in basketball, his highlights have turned heads as his height gave him a massive edge in high school leagues.

Rioux actually became a brief internet sensation when he was 12. In 2018, a highlight package of him went viral as the then 6-10 kid towered over his teammates and opponents, allowing him to score with ease. 

Some members of the basketball world apparently took notice of Rioux in 2018 as well. When fellow Canadian and NBA star Jamal Murray won a championship title with the Denver Nuggets in June, Rioux congratulated him by sharing a five-year-old picture of the two of them on Instagram. As for his play on the court, there aren’t any publicly available stats on how Rioux has played in high school. But he’s attended IMG Academy since 2021, which is viewed as one of the top basketball prep schools in the country and has developed dozens of NBA players.