World losing its mind over Shaq video with teen freak
Video of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal left looking tiny next to a record-breaking teenager is racing across the internet.
Now Shaquille O’Neal knows what it is like.
Video of “The Big Diesel” being dwarfed by 18-year-old college hooper Olivier Rioux is going viral across cyberspace.
The NBA hall of fame inductee’s shocked face said it all as the hulking centre was left looking like a stocky point guard next to the University of Florida giant.
You can watch the video below.
A video shared by Shaq on TikTok has more than 17 million views and more than one million “likes”.
The 52-year-old captioned the video: “Pick on someone your own size”.
O’Neal is just like everyone else when it comes to seeing the 2.36m wonder.
Footage of the Florida Gators recruit went viral in October when he started training with new teammates.
It’s easy to see why.
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Rioux, formerly crowned World’s Tallest Teen by Guinness Records — age: 16, height 2.26m — committed to the Gators during his senior year at IMG Academy.
He thinks it’s in the genes.
“We’re still not 100 per cent sure why I’m so tall … doctors could only explain it with the genetics that my family has,” Rioux said in an interview with Guiness.
The Canadian-born freshman’s mother, a former volleyball player, stands at 1.85m tall. Rioux’s father measures up to 6-foot-8. And his brother, a former hooper himself, stands at 2.03m.
Turning heads is nothing new for Rioux, a three-star prospect per 247sports.
He helped Canada to the bronze medal at the 2024 U18 FIBA AmeriCup — averaging 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
When making his debut last year, he officially became the tallest college basketball player in history — easily.
The 7-foot-7 previous record-holders, Kenny George and Mike Lanier, were never able to crack NBA rosters. And if Rioux makes it to the league, he can add “tallest NBA player” in history to his resume, too.
For now though, the focus remains on Gators’ basketball.