There aren’t many basketball players taller than Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, but the Los Angeles Lakers legend may have met his match in a recent video on social media.
O’Neal posted a TikTok skit to his account on Saturday. He was seen arguing with a man shorter than him and then turning to find 7-foot-9 Florida Gators center Olivier Rioux standing behind him.
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Florida Gators center Olivier Rioux, #32, sits on the bench with his teammates as the Florida Gators hosted the Grambling Tigers in the Exactech area of the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida, on Monday, November 11, 2024. (Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun)
“Mess with someone your size,” O’Neal captioned the video.
Rioux made O’Neal look like a guard instead of a dominant center. The 15-time All-Star stood 7-foot-1 during his playing days.
Rioux was considered the tallest teenager in the world when he committed to Florida. Rioux held the Guinness World Record for tallest teenager, standing 7 feet 5 inches tall when he was 15 years old. He was 6 feet 1 inch at age 8; 6 feet 11 inches in sixth grade; and reached 7 feet during the summer before entering seventh grade.
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Shaquille O’Neal watches before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden in Boston on June 6, 2024. (David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports)
Since then, Rioux has had another growth spurt, gaining four inches in the last two years, according to Ball Is Life.
Rioux previously said he wears a size 20 shoe in his Instagram bio. He says his older brother is 6 feet 9 inches; his dad is 6 feet 8 inches; and his mother is 6 feet and 1 inch tall. He played high school baseball at IMG Academy and was a three-star prospect.
Florida Gators center Olivier Rioux, #32, high-fives a fan after the game. The Florida Gators hosted the Grambling Tigers at the Exactech area of the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida, on Monday, November 11, 2024. (Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun)
The Canadian has yet to appear in a game for the Gators, as he decided to redshirt his freshman year.
