Florida center Olivier Rioux, the tallest college basketball player ever, enters transfer portal

Chris CwikTue, March 31, 2026 at 1:32 PM UTC

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The tallest basketball player in NCAA history is looking for a new team in the offseason. Florida center Olivier Rioux is entering the transfer portal after a middling sophomore season with the Gators.

Rioux, 20, confirmed the news on Instagram, thanking the team and fans for their support.

Rioux is making the move after seeing limited time in just 11 games as a sophomore. He averaged 0.6 points and 0.5 rebounds in just 1.5 minutes per game.

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Rioux originally joined Florida as a preferred walk-on during the 2024-25 season. It wound up being a red-shirt year for the center, however, and he did not appear in a game.

His second season at Florida didn’t result in many significant moments, but he did break a record the instant he stepped on the court. During a November game against North Florida, Rioux became the tallest college basketball player to see action in a game, as he tallied two minutes of play during the contest. The 7-foot-9 center did not record any stats in the game, however.

He was used in a reverse/mop-up role the rest of the way, seeing one or two minutes sparingly with Florida throughout the season. His best performance came in a 114-55 blowout win over Prairie View A&M, when he scored two points and recorded two rebounds and an assist in two minutes of play.

Rioux does have a history of strong play prior to joining Florida. He’s played prominent roles for Canada’s FIBA teams as an amateur and has two bronze medals for his efforts there.

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Source: “AOL Sports”