Xavier Justis Tillman Sr. (born January 12, 1999) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and wh ...

Early life

In his childhood, Tillman played

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

and

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

, and basketball but preferred the latter two sports. He stood when he was 14 years old. Tillman played

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...

(AAU) basketball for the Grand Rapids Storm.

High school career

In his freshman season for

Forest Hills Central High School Forest Hills Central High School is located in Ada Township, Michigan, near Grand Rapids. It is one of three high schools in the Forest Hills Public Schools system. The district also includes Forest Hills Eastern High School (FHE) and Forest Hil ...

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

, he averaged 13.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game, earning

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

Class A All-State special mention honors. As a sophomore, Tillman averaged 15.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per game and led his team to the regional semifinals with a 23–1 record. He was named Associated Press Class A All-State special mention and to the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

'' Class A All-State first team. In the summer of 2015, Tillman announced that he was planning to transfer to

Grand Rapids Christian High School Grand Rapids Christian High School (GRCHS) is a private Christian secondary school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1920, "Christian High" is a member of Grand Rapids Christian Schools and Christian Schools International. The school was firs ...

in Grand Rapids, citing the lack of cultural diversity at Forest Hills Central and his own desire to "refocus" academically. His decision sparked a legal dispute between his parents, because his father supported his transfer, while his mother wanted him to remain at Forest Hills Central. In August, he was cleared to transfer but could not play in his first semester due to

Michigan High School Athletic Association The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Unlike ma ...

(MHSAA) transfer rules, with an appeal for his immediate eligibility being denied. In his junior campaign with Grand Rapids Christian, Tillman averaged 16 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists, shooting 62 percent from the field, to help his team win conference and district titles. He earned ''

Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the ''Detroit Tribune'' on Februar ...

'' Class A Second-Team All-State distinction. As a senior, Tillman averaged 13.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 4.2 blocks per game, guiding his school to a Class A state championship game appearance. He was named a finalist for the Mr. Basketball of Michigan award and collected Associated Press Class A First-Team All-State accolades. Tillman was a consensus four-star

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and was considered by recruiting website

247Sports 247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on athletic recruitment in college football and basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount. The website hosts a large network of team-specific subsites, with each subsite b ...

as the best prospect in Michigan. On September 30, 2016, he verbally committed to play for

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

over Marquette and

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

, saying, "They play the best competition, as well as they're such great guys. And it's close to home."

College career

Tillman made his debut for Michigan State on November 10, 2017, recording four points and three rebounds in a 98–66 win over

North Florida North Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida comprising the northernmost part of the state. Along with South Florida and Central Florida, it is one of Florida's three most common "directional" regions. It includes Jacksonville and near ...

. On November 19, he posted a career-high nine points, five rebounds, and three blocks in a 93–71 victory over Stony Brook. Tillman grabbed a career-best 12 rebounds on March 18, 2018, in a 55–53 loss to

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

in the second round of the 2018 NCAA tournament. Through 35 games, he averaged 2.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks per game. Tillman received his team's Most Improved Player award and shared its Unsung Player award. Through his first season, he lost significant weight in an effort to improve his conditioning. Tillman reduced his weight from at the start of his freshman year to under by his sophomore season. In his third game as a sophomore, he collected his first

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

, with career-highs of 11 points and 13 rebounds in an 80–59 win over Louisiana–Monroe. On January 21, 2019, Tillman posted 10 points and a career-best five blocks, the most single-game blocks by a Michigan State player since

Jaren Jackson Jr. Jaren Walter Jackson Jr. (born September 15, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans. He was select ...

in February 2018. He posted a career-high 19 points and 10 rebounds on February 20, in a 71–60 victory over

Rutgers Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was a ...

. At the end of the regular season, Tillman was named

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

Sixth Player of the Year. On March 31, in the

Elite Eight In the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship, the "Elite Eight" comprises the final eight teams, representing the regional finals, or national quarterfinals. In Division I and Divis ...

round of the 2019 NCAA tournament, he matched his career-high in scoring with 19 points and nine rebounds to help his team defeat first-seeded

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

, 68–67. Tillman guarded

Zion Williamson Zion Lateef Williamson (born July 6, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the power forward position. Following a freshman-year stint with the ...

, first overall pick in the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, i ...

, for much of the game. Tillman scored a career-high 21 points to go with 10 rebounds in a 94–46 win against

Charleston Southern Charleston Southern University (CSU) is a private Baptist university in North Charleston, South Carolina. It is affiliated with the South Carolina Baptist Convention ( Southern Baptist Convention). History Charleston Southern University was ch ...

on November 18, 2019. He had 20 points, 11 rebounds, and a career-high six blocks in a 87–69 win over

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

on January 5, 2020. On February 11, Tillman had 17 points and 11 rebounds and made a game-winning putback dunk with 6.6 seconds left in a 70–69 victory at

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. On March 3, Tillman scored 23 points and had 15 rebounds in a 79–71 win against

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...

. At the close of the regular season, Tillman was named to the Second Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media and was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. He averaged 13.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game as a junior. Following the season Tillman declared for the

2020 NBA draft The 2020 NBA draft was held on November 18, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled to be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was instead conducted at ESPN's facilities in Bristol, Connecti ...

, and ultimately opted to remain in the draft.

Professional career

Memphis Grizzlies (2020–present)

Tillman was drafted by the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

with the 35th overall pick in the

. However, he was traded to the

on draft night. On November 28, Tillman signed his rookie scale contract with the Grizzlies. On April 20, 2021, he recorded career-highs of 18 points and 14 rebounds in a 137–139 double-overtime loss to the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. During the Grizzlies' second play-in tournament game, Tillman recorded eleven points, seven rebounds and three steals in a 117–112 win over the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

. With the win, the Grizzlies qualified for the postseason for the first time since

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

and faced the top-seeded

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

during their first round series. Tillman made his playoff debut on May 23, grabbing two rebounds in a 112–109 Game 1 win. The Grizzlies ended up losing the series against the Jazz in five games. On March 24, 2022, Tillman scored a season-high 16 points, alongside five rebounds, in a 133–103 win over the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

. The Grizzlies faced the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

during the first round of the playoffs. On April 19, Tillman recorded 13 points and seven rebounds in a 124–96 Game 2 win. The Grizzlies went on to win the series in six games, but were eliminated in six games in the second round by the eventual champions, the

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, 59 , , 12 , , 18.4 , , .559 , , .338 , , .642 , , 4.3 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , .6 , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 53 , , 2 , , 13.2 , , .454 , , .204 , , .648 , , 3.0 , , 1.2 , , .9 , , .3 , , 4.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 112 , , 14 , , 15.9 , , .515 , , .281 , , .645 , , 3.7 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , .4 , , 5.7

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

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, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 0 , , 6.0 , , .200 , , .000 , , — , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .3 , , .0 , , .7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, style="text-align:left;",

, 9 , , 6 , , 15.4 , , .720 , , .500 , , .500 , , 3.3 , , .7 , , .7 , , .1 , , 4.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 12 , , 6 , , 13.1 , , .633 , , .333 , , .500 , , 2.8 , , .6 , , .6 , , .1 , , 3.5

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 0 , , 8.7 , , .650 , , – , , .656 , , 2.6 , , .3 , , .3 , , .7 , , 2.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 39 , , 14 , , 24.0 , , .605 , , .296 , , .732 , , 7.3 , , 1.6 , , .9 , , 1.7 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 31 , , 32.1 , , .550 , , .260 , , .667 , , 10.3 , , 3.0 , , 1.2 , , 2.1 , , 13.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 105 , , 45 , , 21.3 , , .582 , , .273 , , .695 , , 6.6 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , 1.5 , , 8.7

Personal life

Tillman is the son of Roosevelt Tillman and Tanya Powell-May. His mother played four years of college basketball for

, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior in 1990 and leaving as the program's all-time rebounding leader. His parents divorced in 2010 and shared physical and legal custody over him. He has three older brothers, R.J., Ben, and Parker, and a younger sister, Madisyn. Parker was a two-time state champion in both

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

and

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

while attending Forest Hills Central High School and played football for

Northwood University Northwood University (NU) is a private university focused on business education with its main campus in Midland, Michigan. Opened in 1959, more than 33,000 people have graduated from the institution. History Northwood University opened as North ...

. Tillman and his wife Tamia Tillman have a daughter Ayanna Tillman, who was born in December 2016, and a son, Xavier Jr, who was born on February 17, 2020. The family lived together in a family housing unit at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

. Michigan State head coach

Tom Izzo Tom Izzo (, ); born January 30, 1955) is an American college basketball coach who has been the head coach at Michigan State University since 1995. On April 4, 2016, Izzo was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Izzo has led the Spart ...

credited Tillman's improvement as a basketball player to Ayanna.

References

External links

Michigan State Spartans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tillman, Xavier 1999 births Living people African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Grand Rapids, Michigan Memphis Grizzlies players Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players Power forwards (basketball) Sacramento Kings draft picks 21st-century African-American sportspeople