Florida’s 7-foot-9 center faces Shaq in epic video: ‘Pick someone your size’

Florida’s 7-foot-9 center faces Shaq in epic video: ‘Pick someone your size’

There aren’t many basketball players taller than Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, but the Los Angeles Lakers legend may have met his equal in a recent social media video.

O’Neal posted a TikTok sketch to his account on Saturday. He was seen arguing with a man shorter than him and then turning to see the 7-foot, 9-inch Florida Gators center Olivier Rioux standing behind him.

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Olivier Rioux on the bench

Olivier Rioux, #32, center of the Florida Gators, sits on the bench with his teammates as the Florida Gators take on the Grambling Tigers at the Exactech Area at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Monday, November 11, 2024 in Gainesville, Florida, align. (Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun)

“Choose someone your size,” O’Neal captioned the video.

Rioux made O’Neal look like a guard rather than a dominant center. The 15-time All-Star was listed at 7-foot-1 during his playing days.

Rioux was considered the tallest teenager in the world when he chose Florida. Rioux was the Guinness World Record holder for tallest teenager, standing 7 feet, 5 inches tall as a 15-year-old. At the age of 8 he was 1.80 m tall; 6 feet, 11 inches in sixth grade; and reached 7 feet tall the summer before she entered seventh grade.

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Shaq at a game

Shaquille O’Neal looks on 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)

According to Ball Is Life, Rioux has since experienced another growth spurt, growing four inches in the last two years.

Rioux previously said in his Instagram bio that he wears a size 20 shoe. He says his older brother is 6 feet tall; his father is 1.80 meters tall; and his mother is 1.80 meters tall. He played high school ball at IMG Academy and was a three-star prospect.

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Olivier Rioux and fans

Florida Gators center Olivier Rioux, #32, gives a high-five to a fan after the game. The Florida Gators hosted the Grambling Tigers on Monday, November 11, 2024 at Exactech Area at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida. (Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun)

The Canadian has yet to play a game for the Gators as he opted to redshirt his freshman year.

Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.

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