Some college basketball players are tall—and then there's Florida Gators center Olivier Rioux, once dubbed the tallest teenager on the planet by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Rioux is a freshman who redshirted this season and won't see any action when the Gators take on Auburn in the national semifinal in San Antonio on Saturday. The 7'9'' big man still made some sweet memories with his teammates this past year, such as cutting down the nets after Florida's SEC championship win without a ladder.
By no fault of his own, Rioux ominously towers over all reporters who have approached him for an interview in the NCAA tournament. College hoops analyst John Fanta was the latest to get the short treatment:
"I am joined by Olivier Rioux, the largest man maybe in the world," Fanta said, as the camera panned so high up to Rioux's head that Fanta left the frame. "Olivier, it's the Final Four, it's the Alamodome, what are you emotions with your Florida teammates heading into this magical week?"
Fanta then raised the microphone to above his own head for Rioux to answer the question.
I caught up with 7-foot-9 Florida big man Olivier Rioux! Here’s our conversation: pic.twitter.com/24DrUNSJU9
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) April 4, 2025
What an interview.
Props to Fanta for managing the staggering height gap in stride, and to the camera operator for creating a hilariously iconic moment to set the stage for an exciting Final Four battle between two No. 1 seeds.
More March Madness on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as John Fanta Interviewing Florida 7'9" Center Was Iconic Final Four Moment.
