Olivier Rioux made college basketball history this past season with the Florida Gators, becoming the tallest player to ever appear in a game at 7-foot-9.
Rioux, who transferred to UC Irvine this offseason, is originally from Quebec and met up with Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson ahead of Game 3 of the second-round playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres. Hutson, who is among the shorter players in the NHL at 5-foot-9, stands exactly two feet below Rioux, formerly the Guinness World Record-holder as the world’s tallest teenager.
The result is a picture that boggles the mind.
5’9″ Lane Hutson linked up with 7’9″ Olivier Rioux, the tallest player in college basketball history đł
(via @PeteYannopoulos) pic.twitter.com/kNVTDgqUeg
â Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) May 11, 2026
Rioux is a giant even on a basketball court, standing seven inches taller than the Gators’ next-tallest player this past season, 7-foot-2 center Micah Handlogten. He’s now following in the large footsteps of another historically tall big man who played at UC Irvine, 7-foot-6 Mamadou Ndiaye, who played for the Anteaters from 2013-16. Ndiaye was the tallest player in Division I at the time.
Fortunately, Hutson isn’t likely to run into any opposing players pushing eight feet tall on the ice any time soon.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Lane Hutson looked tiny next to tallest college basketball player
