Tallest College Basketball Players Ever

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Central Florida center Tacko Fall (24) celebrates after a score by the team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Cincinnati Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, in Orlando, Fla. Cincinnati won 49-38.
(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Chase Kiddy @chaseakiddy Jul 26, 2024, 2:43 PM

If you thought Zach Edey and Victor Wembanyama were tall, wait until you catch the Florida Gators this season.

Canadian import Olivier Rioux is a towering 7โ€™9โ€. Heโ€™s so big that he was tagged as the Worldโ€™s Tallest Teenager by none other than the Guinness Book of World Records.ย 

This year, Rioux will be matriculating to Gainesville, so bet the college basketball odds market accordingly.ย 

Rioux is set to take his place atop the list of the tallest college basketball players ever โ€“ a list of athletes who are so much bigger than the rest of us, itโ€™s hard to actually comprehend how big they are without seeing them in person.


Drake is six feet tall. Look how much taller Wembanyama is than him. And Rioux is several inches taller than him!

For those who are verticality-curious, hereโ€™s the history of college basketballโ€™s tallest players.

Tallest College Basketball Players Ever

PlayerHeightSchool (Season)
Olivier Rioux7'9"Florida (2024- )
Kenny George7'7"UNC Asheville (2006-08)
Mike Lanier7'7"Hardin-Simmons; UCLA (1988-93)
Shawn Bradley7'6"BYU (1990-91)
Tacko Fall7'6"UCF (2015-19)
Neil Fingleton7'6"Holy Cross; UNC (2001-04)
John Hollinden7'6"Oral Roberts (1976-78)
Mamadou Ndiaye7'6"UC Irvine (2013-16)
Sim Bhullar7'5"New Mexico State (2012-14)
Will Foster7'5"Gonzaga (2006-10)
Chuck Nevitt7'5"NC State (1978-82)
Greg Ritter7'5"Portland (1989-91)
Jamarion Sharp7'5"Ole Miss; Western Kentucky (2021-24)
Alan Bannister7'4"Arkansas State/Oklahoma State (1985-90)
Lonnie Boeckman7'4"Oklahoma State (1973-77)
Mark Eaton7'4"UCLA (1980-82)
Zach Edey7'4"Purdue (2020-24)
Matt Van Komen7'4"St. Mary's; Utah (2019-21)
Christ Koumadje7'4"Florida State (2015-19)
Jakub Kusmieruk7'4"Idaho State; UCF (2008-13)
Rolf Mayr7'4"Duquesne (1987-88)
Naheem McLeod7'4"Florida State; Syracuse (2021-24)
Chase Metheney7'4"Virginia (1995-98)
Ralph Sampson7'4"Virginia (1979-83)
Rik Smits7'4"Marist (1984-88)
Riley Sorn7'4"Washington (2019-22)
Stever Turner7'4"Vanderbilt (1969-73)
Blake Vedder7'4"Kent State; Rhode Island (2010-15)

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About the Author

Chase Kiddy

Read More @chaseakiddy

Chase Kiddy is a writer for BetMGM and co-host of The Lion's Edge, an NFL and college football podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else. He has also written for a number of print and online outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post, Daily News-Record, and HERO Sports. His first novel, Cave Paintings, is in development.

Chase Kiddy is a writer for BetMGM and co-host of The Lion's Edge, an NFL and college football podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else. He has also written for a number of print and online outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post, Daily News-Record, and HERO Sports. His first novel, Cave Paintings, is in development.