When the No. 8 Florida Gators crushed the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers 73-43 on Tuesday at Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida, the college basketball world took notice. Additionally, they attracted attention because of the amusing interaction between 7-foot-9 freshman center Olivier Rioux and NBA great Shaquille O’Neal.
The 7-foot-1 O’Neal appears to be disciplining a considerably smaller individual in a video that Hot Freestyle shared on Instagram on Friday. Then, Shaq turned to see Rioux standing taller than him. The former NBA big man, in his most comical form, looked up at Rioux and looked at the camera with a startled expression on his face before laughing out loud.
Rioux was able to make Shaq appear small, but it takes a very massive person to do so. Naturally, Shaq’s encounter with Rioux, who received offers from the Stetson Hatters and the Florida Atlantic Owls before enrolling at Florida, sparked a lot of discussion among fans. The Hot Freestyle Instagram post had their caption as ‘SHAQ got out-gianted.’
During the 2024–25 college basketball season, Olivier Rioux has not yet played. After being redshirted by the Gators (14-1), who will play the Arkansas Razorbacks (11-4) on Saturday at Bud Walton Arena in Arkansas, it is unlikely that he will play the remainder of the season. He is one to keep an eye on in the basketball world going forward into the year.
Shaquille O’Neal ONCE spoke about being ‘out gianted’ by Yao Ming
One of the greatest big men in NBA history is Shaquille O’Neal. In addition to being seven feet tall, Big Shaq had a huge frame. During his playing career, Diesel’s frightening presence occasionally caused opponents to move aside.
However, the Houston Rockets’ great Yao Ming was the only player who ‘out gianted’ O’Neal on the court. Regarding this, Shaq even took to his Instagram to talk about Ming’s height. Shaquille O’Neal wrote on his Instagram post, “Yao says he’s 7 feet 4 I think he’s 7 foot 8” as both stars stood beside each other for a picture.
At first look, it appears that Ming put on weight, which caused a size difference that made him look taller than Shaq. However, it becomes evident that Yao Ming made Shaq appear insignificant on the floor as well when one looks back and examines some photos from their NBA career. Also, the two share a great bond and vast memories during their playing career in the NBA.
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