It seems the story you referenced—about “the tallest basketball player in history, holding the Guinness World Record, choosing the Tennessee Vols over offers from Florida, Kentucky, Georgia…”—is actually not accurate based on credible sources. Let’s unpack the real facts and clarify the key points:
According to Guinness World Records, the tallest basketball player ever officially measured is Sun Mingming, a Chinese former player listed at 236.17 cm (nearly 7 ft 9 in)
Another athlete frequently mentioned in recent headlines is Olivier Rioux, a Canadian born in 2006 and recognized by Guinness as the tallest teenager in the world—standing around 7 ft 9 as well
- **Rioux is committed to the Florida Gators, not Tennessee
- Recently, news outlets highlighted that he turned down a reported NIL offer of $3.5 million from Tennessee (and others including Kentucky, Georgia, Texas) to stay with Florida—emphasizing that program fit, coaching, and personal development were more important than pure money
No credible sources confirm that he chose Tennessee, or that he officially committed to and joined the Tennessee Volunteers. The only documented fact is that he rejected Tennessee’s NIL package in favor of Florida.
- Tallest basketball player (all‑time): Sun Mingming, 7 ft 8.98 in
- Tallest teenager: Olivier Rioux, ~7 ft 9, currently with the Florida Gators
- He declined a $3.5M NIL offer from Tennessee but ultimately did not join them
- Many sensational articles and fan sites misstate or twist the details—saying he committed to Kentucky, Tennessee, or Michigan State—but these are unverified and conflicting, and they ignore widely accepted reports that he is a Florida Gator
- The more reliable coverage (e.g. People, TalkSport, AP News) all align on Florida .
There is no foundation in credible reporting that the tallest basketball player in history—or tallest teenager—chose Tennessee. He instead reaffirmed his commitment to Florida, turning down lucrative NIL offers, including Tennessee’s, in favor of what he and his family judged to be a better fit.
If you’d like, I can expand on any of these details, such as:
- Profiles of Sun Mingming and Olivier Rioux
- How NIL deals are reshaping college basketball commitments
- Or even an in-depth breakdown of the Florida Gators man‑management strategy versus programs like Tennessee, Kentucky, etc.
Let me know what you’d like to explore next!
