Olivier Rioux was born in Terrebonne on February 2, 2006, to Jean-François, a 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) photographer and former volleyball player, and Anne Gariepy, who is 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), and works at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). His 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) older brother, Émile, has also played basketball. The family has resided in the Anjou borough of Montreal[4] and the suburb of Beloeil.
Both Olivier and Émile played for multiple Canadian AAU teams. Rioux first gained attention while playing internationally for the French Phenoms at age 12 when he was 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m).[5] He played for Real Madrid and Brookwood Elite prior to attending IMG Academy.[6][7]
He did not appear in any of the Gators' first four games of the 2024–25 season. After the fourth game, head coach Todd Golden told the Associated Press that Rioux was being redshirted, and that he had previously discussed the matter with Rioux, his family, and his AAU coach.[8]
National team career
Rioux first represented Canada at youth level during the 2021 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Mexico. He helped Canada win bronze at the tournament, finishing with averages of 8.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.[9] A year later, he played for Canada at the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup in Spain. He finished the competition with averages of 2.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.[10]
In June 2023, Rioux was selected to play for Canada at the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup in Hungary. He averaged 3.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game over the course of the tournament.[11] The following year, at the 2024 FIBA Under-18 AmeriCup in Argentina, Rioux won his second bronze medal at youth level. He finished the event averaging 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.[12]
