Florida basketball star, 15, is the tallest teenager in the world at 7-foot-5-inches

Publish date: 2024-06-06

A 15-year-old basketball star in Florida who stands at a staggering seven-foot-five-inches (228 centimeters) has become the tallest teenager in the world after entering the Guinness World Records for his height.

Olivier Rioux, a Canadian who plays as a centre for the IMG Academy in Bradenton, looks to be on course to playing professional basketball as he continues to evolve.  

‘Everywhere we go, you know, it’s not something he can hide from,’ Rioux’s head coach, Jeremy Schiller, said. ‘You can’t put on a hat and not be 7’5” anymore.’ 

‘My mom is 6’2” and my dad is 6’8”,’ Rioux said. He also revealed that he wears a size 20 shoe. 

‘When I was 10, 11, 12, I started growing and it was getting fast,’ he added. ‘Every week, I was like getting height. I was taller than every kid in my school.’ 

A highlight video of the Canadian sensation on Instagram shows the almost unfair advantages of being so tall at a young age and the impact it has had over rival teams. 

In the clip, Rioux barely gets off his toes to do a slam dunk and barely needs to move to outmuscle his opponents when getting a rebound. 

Olivier Rioux, 15, has become a seven-foot and five-inches basketball star after highlights of him playing for IMG Academy in Florida went viral and cemented his place in the Guinness World Records as the tallest teenager on earth

Olivier Rioux, 15, has become a seven-foot and five-inches basketball star after highlights of him playing for IMG Academy in Florida went viral and cemented his place in the Guinness World Records as the tallest teenager on earth

Rioux with two of his basketball coaches at IMG Academy, who describe the young talent as a 'good passer who can shoot a three and finish at the rim'

Rioux with two of his basketball coaches at IMG Academy, who describe the young talent as a ‘good passer who can shoot a three and finish at the rim’

Rioux was supposed to grow to six-foot-five-inches, according to doctors, who can't believe the teenager's massive growth spurt

Rioux was supposed to grow to six-foot-five-inches, according to doctors, who can’t believe the teenager’s massive growth spurt

Fans on social media were in awe after watching the teen’s hooping skills, with many of them pointing out that Rioux could be on his way into forging an NBA career for himself while others pointed out how small the teenager made the ball look.   

One user commented: ‘Moving good for someone 7ft5. NBA bound!’

Another wrote: ‘The ball looks tiny.’

One user posted: ‘He makes the ball look like a damn baseball.’

A punter said: ‘He’s actually big too bro has a free pass to the NBA if he practices.’

In this picture, Rioux just shows how tall he is, comparing his height to one of Kristaps Porzingis of the NBA. Porizingis, who is currently on the Washington Wizards, is seven-foot and three-inches

In this picture, Rioux just shows how tall he is, comparing his height to one of Kristaps Porzingis of the NBA. Porizingis, who is currently on the Washington Wizards, is seven-foot and three-inches 

Surprisingly, doctors never predicted Rioux’s growth spurt to reach a world-record height.

According to the Guinness World Records, Rioux was born weighing 3.4kg before growing to 7.26kg in his first month.

In fifth grade, the Canadian was 5-feet, two-inches tall. Doctors believed Rioux would peak at 6-feet, five-inches tall but he completely surpassed that threshold.

With both of his parents exceeding six feet, the Rioux family had to remodel their home to favor their needs, meaning ceilings and tabletops had to be raised in order to better suit them. 

ncG1vNJzZmhqZGy7psPSmqmorZ6Zwamx1qippZxemLyue82erqxnlqG8s7XDmmSbmaOgsrWuwKWjZquklr9ufZRmoKxlpJ2ybsDApaOeq6RiwaaxzZqenqpdnrtuwMeeZLCnoqGxbq3TZm5mnp%2BkwW6BjKKlnKCVqHw%3D