Among the familiar scene of players climbing a ladder to cut down the nets after winning a national championship Monday night was something surreal.
One man so tall that he did not need to step on a single rung to reach the nylon with a pair of scissors.
Florida freshman sensation Olivier Rioux, who is listed at 7-foot-9, grabbed the scissors off the top of the ladder and stood on his tippy toes as he reached up to cut a piece of net after the Gators defeated Houston, 65-63, to win their first national championship since 2007.
He then casually put the scissors back on top of the ladder for the next person.
Rioux was also pictured with his parents, Jean-François and Anne.
While he did not see the court for the Gators this season, the Quebec native has been a hot topic on social media since the summer, when fans noticed his height on his team bio page.
His initial claim to fame came in 2022, when he set the Guinness World Record as the world’s tallest teen at 7-foot-6.
Rioux had a couple of viral interactions this season with Shaq, who rarely has to look up at anyone, and CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson, whom Rioux towered over in a photo taken during March Madness.
It remains to be seen what Rioux’s role with Florida will be next season after the Gators rallied from a 12-point deficit in the second half to win Monday’s championship game in San Antonio.
Senior guard Will Richard led Florida with 18 points and eight rebounds, while fellow senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. had 11 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
The national title is the third in program history after Florida won back-to-back championships in 2006 and ’07.
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