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The world's tallest teenager, Olivier Rioux, became the tallest college basketball player ever after making his highly-anticipated debut for the Florida Gators.
Rioux, who stands at 7 foot 9 inches tall, stepped onto the court for the first time in Florida colors during their 104-64 win over North Florida on Thursday evening.
The 19-year-old, who hails from Montreal, was met with loud cheers from the crowd as he prepared to make his entrance with just 2:09 left on the clock, footage showed.
In a viral video clip, Rioux stripped off and made his way to the substitution box, with those in attendance at the O'Connell Center being sent into a wild frenzy.
'This is as loud as it's been all night,' one commentator was heard saying.
The Florida center was seen in deep conversation with one of the team's coaches before receiving a brief pep talk from a teammate as he entered the court.
Olivier Rioux became the tallest college basketball player ever after making his debut
Rioux - who stands at 7-foot-9 - was subbed in for the Florida Gators on Thursday night
Though he didn't manage to score any points on the night, his introduction into the game means that Rioux will always be remembered in the college history books.
The 7-foot-9 star broke the record previously held by Kenny George of UNC Asheville and Mike Lanier of Hardin-Simmons. They both stood at 7-foot-7.
Speaking after the game on Thursday, Rioux said: 'It felt great. The support from everybody was amazing, even on the bench and even in the fans.
'Everybody supported me, and I'm very grateful.'
For some fans, this was a long-time coming.
Florida head coach Todd Golden has regularly faced calls to play Rioux after redshirting the gargantuan teen during his freshman year.
Speaking after the game, Golden said: 'There were people yelling at me at halftime about playing him. I said listen, it will happen, the time will come. I can be stubborn.
'I don't listen to direction very well, so when they're yelling at me to do it, well, maybe I'll wait a little longer.'
Rioux towered over the opposition - including one player standing at 6-foot-8
Rioux pictured alongside his Florida teammates during a game earlier this year
The 19-year-old pictured in action during the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup back in July
'Obviously, the game was in our control, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to get him out there and get his first college experience,' Golden said.
'I think he was pretty excited. It was pretty neat for him to finally see the floor. I would have liked him to get a touch.
'He's put in a lot of great work, and to his credit, he's kept a great attitude without getting a lot of reward in terms of playing time and opportunity.
'He went into this year knowing that our ability to get the front court to come back was going to limit his opportunities.'
Things could have been very different, however, after Rioux tried his hand at football during the summer and worked out with the Gators' team.
There were hopes among the coaches that, given his immense wingspan, Rioux could prove a useful asset in regard to blocking field goals and extra points.
However, due to his 11-inch vertical, Rioux actually struggled to make an impact and failed to block any kicks during the workout.
He entered the Guinness Book of World Records at the tallest living male teenager back in 2022.
