World's tallest college basketball player commits to UC Irvine

Olivier Rioux, the tallest player in college basketball history at 7 feet 9 inches, committed to UC Irvine on Thursday after two seasons at Florida left him searching for more playing time.

Rioux's arrival gives UC Irvine one of the most physically imposing frontcourt presences in Division I as the program chases its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2019.

Rioux announced the commitment via Instagram on Thursday with the message "Next stop: Irvine, California," according to ABC7 Los Angeles. He had entered the transfer portal in late March 2026 after two seasons with the Florida Gators.

The Canadian center redshirted during Florida's 2025 national championship season and appeared in only 11 games in the 2025-26 season. With frontcourt standouts Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon returning, along with NABC and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Rueben Chinyelu expected back, playing time was scarce. "Oli is excited and ready for the next steps in his journey," his agent, Peter Yannopoulos, told ESPN when Rioux entered the portal.

According to ESPN Research, Rioux is the tallest player to score in a Division I game. Guinness World Records certified him as "the world's tallest teenager."

UC Irvine won the Big West Conference regular season title in 2025-26 but fell to Hawai'i in the conference tournament, missing an automatic NCAA bid. The Anteaters last reached the tournament in 2019.

The program has a history with elite-sized big men. Former Anteater center Mamadou Ndiaye stood 7 feet 6 inches and won Big West Defensive Player of the Year in both 2014 and 2016. Only three players in college basketball history have stood taller than Ndiaye — Rioux among them.

For a program that has waited seven years to return to the NCAA tournament, Rioux's 7-foot-9 frame may be the most striking addition the Big West has seen in decades.