 Tillie with theMemphis Grizzlies in 2022 | |
| No. 33 – Unicaja | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward /center |
| League | Liga ACB |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1998-03-05)5 March 1998 (age 27) Paris, France |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | INSEP (Paris, France) |
| College | Gonzaga (2016–2020) |
| NBA draft | 2020:undrafted |
| Playing career | 2020–present |
| Career history | |
| 2020–2022 | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 2021 | →Memphis Hustle |
| 2024–present | Unicaja Malaga |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Killian Wiard Tillie (born 5 March 1998) is a French professionalbasketball player forUnicaja Malaga of theLiga ACB. He playedcollege basketball for theGonzaga Bulldogs. Tillie joinedGonzaga University beginning in the 2016–17 season.[1]
Tillie played basketball and volleyball until the age of 14, before choosing to focus on basketball. He started his basketball career in the youth setup at Cagnes Basket, when he was six years of age. He then moved to Stade Laurentin Basket, before joining the youth academy ofOlympique d'Antibes in 2013.[2] Prior to the 2014–15 season, he joined the INSEP academy.[3]
"Killian is a dynamic athlete that will end up being a very good faceup-type four. Once we get him in the weight room and work on his strength, he’ll be a very good player at the highest level."
"We expect him to contribute right away, if his health is under control with some knee issues. He is one of those really interesting guys. He has incredible instincts. It's probably hard to pinpoint his strengths, but he doesn’t really have a weakness either. He has tremendous upside, and we think his potential is off the charts."
In January 2015, Tillie was highlighted byESPN among five of the best international players in the 2015 and 2016 classes with aspirations to play college basketball. He was drawing major interest from California at the time, and scouts were impressed with his terrific offensive rebounding, athleticism and high motor.[6]
In August 2015, Tillie traveled to the United States and took official visits to Georgia Tech, Utah, and Gonzaga.[7] Less than a week after his trip to Spokane, he verbally to committed to play college basketball atGonzaga University, citing the Zags' "success with international players and because of the people that love basketball there."[1] He signed with the Zags in the early signing period in November 2015.[4]
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killian Tillie F | Antibes, France | INSEP | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Aug 29, 2015 | |
Recruit ratings:Scout:  Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: (NR) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: Scout: NR Rivals: NR 247Sports: #67 ESPN: NR | ||||||
Sources:
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He made his first appearance in a Gonzaga jersey on November 5, 2016, when scoring four points to go along with four rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and two steals in twelve minutes of play againstWest Georgia.[8] As a freshman during the 2016–17 season, Tillie appeared in 33 games, averaging 4.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 12.3 minutes.[9] He saw 14 minutes of action in theNCAA championship game againstNorth Carolina, pulling down nine rebounds and scoring one point.[10]
As a sophomore in 2017–18, Tillie was Gonzaga's second leading scorer, averaging 12.9 points in 26.2 minutes per game to go along with 5.9 rebounds and 1 blocked shot per contest.[11]
Coming into his junior season, Tillie was named to the Preseason All-WCC Team.[12] On October 30, 2018, it was announced that Tillie was to miss approximately eight weeks with a stress fracture on his ankle.[13]
Tillie missed the beginning of his senior season recovering from a knee injury. He returned to the lineup on November 19, 2019, finishing with 15 points and eight rebounds as Gonzaga held offTexas-Arlington 72–66.[14] On January 30, 2020, Tillie left a game againstSanta Clara in the first half after suffering an ankle injury.[15] At the conclusion of the regular season, Tillie was named to the First Team All-WCC.[16] He averaged 13.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game as a senior.[17]
After going undrafted in the2020 NBA draft, Tillie signed a two-way contract with theMemphis Grizzlies on 24 November 2020.[17][18]
On 12 August 2021, Tillie signed a second two-way contract with the Grizzlies.[19] On 1 January 2022, he signed a two-year standard contract.[20]
The Grizzlies waived Tillie on 15 October 2022, before the start of the 2022–23 season.[21][22]
On 21 August 2024, Tillie signed withUnicaja of theLiga ACB.[23]
Tillie helped the French Under-16 National Team win the2014 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship, averaging 14.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.2 blocked shots and 1.2 steals a contest, while being recognized asthe tournament's MVP.[24] He dropped in 25 points and grabbed 18 boards, in the title game, a 78–53 win over hosting Latvia.[25]
In the summer of 2015, Tillie competed in theFIBA 3x3 Under-18 World Championships, where he teamed up withBathiste Tchouaffe, Jules Rambaut, and Timothe Vergiat and he represented France at the 2015 World Championship, in Debrecen, Hungary, where they finished in third place, with an 8–1 record. His team defeated USA, featuring fellow Gonzaga commitZach Collins, in the quarter-finals, before losing to Argentina in the semifinals, and thumping Spain in the third-place game.[26][27]
He competed for France at the2017 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, averaging team-bests of 12.4 points and 8.7 rebounds a contest.[28]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Memphis | 18 | 1 | 10.1 | .333 | .303 | .818 | 1.3 | .4 | .3 | .4 | 3.2 |
| 2021–22 | Memphis | 36 | 3 | 12.8 | .339 | .314 | .625 | 1.7 | .6 | .6 | .4 | 3.3 |
| Career | 54 | 4 | 11.9 | .337 | .311 | .737 | 1.6 | .6 | .5 | .4 | 3.2 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Gonzaga | 33 | 0 | 12.2 | .511 | .478 | .778 | 3.2 | .6 | .7 | .3 | 4.2 |
| 2017–18 | Gonzaga | 36 | 35 | 26.2 | .580 | .479 | .773 | 5.9 | 1.7 | .8 | 1.0 | 12.9 |
| 2018–19 | Gonzaga | 15 | 0 | 16.6 | .500 | .438 | .643 | 3.9 | 1.5 | .7 | .7 | 6.2 |
| 2019–20 | Gonzaga | 24 | 24 | 24.6 | .535 | .400 | .726 | 5.0 | 1.9 | 1.0 | .8 | 13.6 |
| Career | 108 | 59 | 20.3 | .548 | .444 | .750 | 4.6 | 1.4 | .8 | .7 | 9.5 | |
He is the son ofLaurent Tillie, a former professional volleyball player and coach of theFrench national team, and Caroline Keulen-Tillie, a former professional volleyball player from the Netherlands. Killian's brothers are also professional athletes:Kim Tillie plays basketball andKevin Tillie plays volleyball.
· Basketball Reference
