7-Foot-9 Olivier Rioux Posts a Double-Double in His UC Irvine Debut, and His Behind-the-Backboard Dunk Goes Viral
Olivier Rioux, the 7-foot-9 (2.36 m) Canadian center, made his debut for the University of California, Irvine, on the night of November 3 in Irvine, California: in 18 minutes he posted a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds as the Anteaters beat Chapman University 92-66 in their season opener. A one-handed dunk he threw down from behind the backboard in the second half has since gone viral on social media.
The game was played at UC Irvine's Bren Events Center against Chapman, a Division III school. According to USA Today, it was the first double-double of Rioux's college career; sophomore guard Luke Isaak led the team with 16 points.
The viral play came early in the second half: standing almost entirely behind the backboard, Rioux reached around and dunked the ball one-handed. ClutchPoints posted the clip on X on November 4, calling the dunk "casual," and multiple U.S. sports outlets followed with reports on the game.
Rioux, 20, is from Terrebonne, Quebec, and weighs 305 pounds. Guinness World Records declared him the world's tallest teenager when he measured 7 feet 5 inches at age 15. He spent the previous two seasons at the University of Florida: he redshirted on the Gators' 2025 national championship team and played just 17 minutes, scoring seven points, in 2025-26. He transferred to UC Irvine in April looking for more playing time. The game was his first college start, and multiple reports say he became the tallest player ever to start a Division I game.
UC Irvine, coached by Russell Turner, plays San Jose State on Saturday.
Source: ClutchPoints on X
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 加州大学尔湾分校主场Bren Events Center球场资料图（BirdKr摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经Wikimedia Commons；非本场比赛现场图）
