Basketball wonderkid almost 8ft tall has already received Shaquille O’Neal message

A giant basketball prodigy has caught the eye of NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal.

A basketball star who is the tallest teenager in the world has featured in a Shaquille O’Neal video. Olivier Rioux towers over his colleagues and could soon be entering the NBA if he impresses at March Madness.

Rioux was six feet tall when he was only eight years old and passed the seven-foot threshold when he was in middle school. At 16, he entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest teenager with a listed height of seven feet and five inches. Now aged 19, he is understood to stand at around seven foot and nine inches tall, which would make him by far the tallest player in NBA.

Basketball legend O’Neal has referenced Rioux’s height in an amusing video on his TikTok account. The 53-year-old, who himself is a giant at seven-foot-one, posted a video captioned: “Pick on someone your own size.”

In the clip, the 15-time All-Star and Hall of Famer squares up to a much smaller man, who gestures to O’Neal to turn around. O’Neal swivels and sees Rioux towering over him. He turns to the camera and pulls a shocked expression.

Rioux’s highlights have gone viral, with fans stunned at how much he towers over other extremely tall players. He is set to compete at March Madness, with NBA scouts lining up to see whether he has the ability to make an impact at the elite level of the sport.

If he does end up in the NBA, Rioux would become the tallest player in its history. The record is jointly held by Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol, who were both listed as standing at seven feet and seven inches during their playing days.

Rioux has impressed for the Florida Gators and was once invited to play for European giants Real Madrid. He would tower over the current tallest player in the NBA, Victor Wembanyama, who is seven-foot-four.

Gators coach Todd Golden described Rioux as a “long-term project” and believes he has the potential to become a professional player. “He’s way more athletic now than when he got here,” Golden said. “We always thought of Ollie as kind of a longer-term project, so to speak. He’s been incredibly coachable.

“He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do from a practice standpoint. I still feel good about his opportunity and his potential to become a good player.”