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IRVINE, Calif. — Olivier Rioux, who at 7-foot-9 is the tallest player in college basketball history and the tallest player to score in a Division I game, has committed to play for UC Irvine, he announced on Instagram on Thursday.
The former Florida center redshirted the season when the Gators won the national title in 2025 and appeared in 11 games last season. In late March, he announced that he would enter the portal in search of more playing time.
“Next stop: Irvine, California,” he wrote on his post Thursday.
His announcement comes after Florida stars Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon both announced their returns for the 2026-27 season. Rueben Chinyelu, who won both N and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year honors, has entered the NBA draft but is also expected to return, which positions the Gators to be the No. 1 team in every reputable preseason ranking. It also means there isn’t a lot of playing time available for frontcourt talent like Rioux, who will be a redshirt sophomore next season.
Rioux, who was certified in the Guinness Book of World Records as “the world’s tallest teenager,” will now play for a UC Irvine squad that won the Big West Conference regular season title but lost to Hawai’i in the league’s tournament. The Anteaters are searching for their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2019.
The school is familiar with giants.
Former UC Irvine center Mamadou Ndiaye, who is 7-foot-6, was named Big West Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 and 2016. Rioux is one of just three players in college basketball history taller than Ndiaye, per ESPN Research.
“Oli is excited and ready for the next steps in his journey,” agent Peter Yannopoulos told ESPN when Rioux entered the portal in March.
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