At 16, Olivier Rioux is already 2.28m tall and impresses on the basketball courts. The Canadian, who already wears a 52, is still a freshman in high school, but he’s already taller than many NBA stars. Olivier is currently studying and playing at a prep school in Florida and dreams of a place in the world’s premier basketball league.
+ The 10-year-old boy is an American basketball sensation; see the auctions
+ Le Rey de Franca: the young promise of basketball aims for the NBA draft
The tallest teenager in the world is a basketball player – Photo: Reproduction / Instagram
Rioux holds the title of the tallest teenager in the world recognized by the Guinness Book. Olivier is taller than Shaquille O’Neal, Kristaps Porzings and Giannis Antetokounmpo, for example. The teenager is just no match for Hall of Famer and ex-Houston Rockets Yao Min, who is 1cm taller.
The young athlete plays for Canada’s junior teams and is averaging 8.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game in FIBA competitions. Olivier is an athlete at IMG Basketball, a preparatory academy for athletes who want to follow the sport professionally, he is still a freshman in high school.
Olivier has already completed an internship at Real Madrid, one of the main European basketball clubs. The athlete’s goal is to move into college basketball and try to earn a spot in the NBA. But several experts assure that height is not everything in the league, you also have to have talent.
“Evil pop culture fanatic. Extreme bacon geek. Food junkie. Thinker. Hipster-friendly travel nerd. Coffee buff.”