Here's What We Know About the Parents of Olivier Rioux, Basketball Star and "Tallest Teen"
"We’re still not 100 percent sure why I’m so tall — after investigation, doctors could only explain it with the genetics that my family has."
Published April 7 2025, 9:34 a.m. ET
With a few notable exceptions, basketball stars are known for being tall. Really, really tall. Such is the case for a Canadian basketball player who joined the Florida Gators in 2025, towering over his teammates at a staggering 7 feet and 9 inches tall.
The freshman player, Olivier Rioux, kicked off 2025 by becoming the tallest college basketball player to take the court in history.
This led fans to be more than a little curious about where he comes from and whether his parents tower over their friends like he does. Here's what we know about his parents and the big brother he stands head and shoulders above.
Here's what we know about Olivier Rioux's parents.
To answer the first, and perhaps most pressing, question: No, Olivier's parents are not quite as tall as he is. That doesn't make them short, however.
His father, Jean-Francois Rioux, stands at 6 feet and 8 inches tall. His mother, Anne Gariepy, stands at 6 feet and 2 inches tall.
Jean-Francois, who used to play basketball, is very involved in his son's career. On his Facebook account, Olivier's father posts picture after picture of games and milestones. On social media, he touts his photography business, Jeff Photo, located in Quebec, Canada.
Olivier's mom, Anne, is a little more private on social media. Her Facebook says that she works at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and that she graduated from the University of Quebec at Montreal. Like Jean-Francois, her pictures shared to social media feature her family most of all.
Olivier's brother, Emile, is tall. Not quite as tall as Olivier, but tall enough for his chosen career.
Of course, Olivier isn't the only tall son in the Rioux family. His brother, Emile Rioux, is also tall.
Emile, born Oct. 17, 2002, plays basketball just like his younger brother. In the 2024 NBA draft, he went undrafted and plays as an unrestricted free agent.
Like their father, he stands around 6 feet 9 inches.
The Rioux family has a presence on social media, but with Olivier's fame just starting to crank into high gear, not much is known about their private lives together aside from the fact that they seem to be a loving and involved family.
In 2019, Olivier was confirmed as the tallest teenager in the world by Guinness World Record. At that time, he stood 7 feet 5.33 inches. When asked why he felt like he was so tall, the teen mused, "We’re still not 100 percent sure why I’m so tall — after investigation, doctors could only explain it with the genetics that my family has. My father is 6’8, my mom is 6’2, and my older brother is 6’9. So we’re a pretty tall family!"
Olivier's brother Emile Rioux
With both sons exceeding their parents' heights and promising careers in basketball for the two of them, it's clear that there's something good in the water at Anne and Jean-Francois's house.