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

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

O’Neal posted a TikTok skit on his account on Saturday. He was seen arguing with a man smaller than him, then turned to find 7-foot, 9-inch Florida Gators center Olivier Rioux standing behind him.

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

“Pick someone your own size,” O’Neal said to the video.

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

Rioux was considered the world’s tallest teenager when he committed to Florida. Rioux was the Guinness World Record holder for tallest teenager, standing at 7 feet, 5 inches at 15. He stood 6 feet, 1 inch at age 8; 6 feet, 11 inches of sixth grade; and reached 7 feet during the summer before entering seventh grade.

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Shaquille O’Neal watches before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks in one of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden in Boston on June 6, 2024. (David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports)

Rioux has since had another growth spurt, gaining four inches in the past two years, according to Ball Is Life.

Rioux previously said he wears a size 20 shoe in his Instagram bio. He says his older brother is 6 feet, 9 inches; his father is 6 feet, 8 inches; and his mother is 6 feet, 1 inch. He played high school ball at IMG Academy and was a three-star prospect.

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

The Canadian has yet to appear in a game for the Gators when he decided to redshirt his freshman year.

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