BRADENTON, Fla. — IMG Academy basketball player Olivier Rioux always seems to be the center of attention.
“Everywhere we go, you know, it’s not something he can hide from,” IMG head coach Jeremy Schiller said. “You can’t put on a hat and not be 7’5” anymore.”
You heard right, Rioux is 7’5” and at 15 years old he stands as the tallest teenager in the world, according to the Guinness World Records.
“My mom is 6’2” and my dad is 6’8”,” Rioux told ABC Action News sports anchor Kyle Burger.
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Height runs in the Canadian big man’s family. He also wears a size 20 shoe.
“When I was 10, 11, 12, I started growing and it was getting fast,” Rioux said. “Every week, I was like getting height, getting bigger. I was like, surprisingly, not really surprisingly, because my parents are tall, too. I was taller than every kid in my school.”
Rioux is not just good at basketball because of his size. Schiller said Rioux is a phenomenal passer, can shoot there and finish at the rim. Schiller’s goal is to maximize his potential.
“The biggest thing when you meet him, you’re concerned: is he skilled, can he move, what’s his motor like? Does he like basketball? Those are the things you’re concerned about when you meet a 7’5” kid and start to work with him,” Schiller said. “The first thing is he loves basketball. That’s huge. Some kids are tall and people make them do it.”
Rioux is proof that accepting what makes you unique can help you reach new heights.
“The sky is the limit. When you have a kid his size, can move the way he does and loves basketball,” Schiller added. “I would hate to put a cap on where he can go with it. I believe the sky’s the limit.”
