Basketball

REPORTS: Former Gonzaga 6-foot-9 Forward Reportedly Joining Pro Team In Spain

Aug. 11—It seems Killian Tillie’s next move in professional basketball will take him abroad.

The former Gonzaga forward has signed with Unicaja Malaga in Spain, as reported by Eurobasket.com.

At 26, Tillie recently made his return to the court alongside former Gonzaga teammate Anton Watson for the Boston Celtics in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. This marked his first game in about two years and four months, following extensive rehabilitation in Spokane after undergoing back surgery and dealing with an ankle injury.

Standing at 6-foot-9, Tillie averaged 8.4 points and 3.8 rebounds over five summer league games. His scoring improved to 9.5 points per game as he hit 7 of 15 three-point attempts in three starts.

A native of France, Tillie played in 54 games for the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, averaging 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds.

Throughout his four seasons at Gonzaga, Tillie faced numerous injuries but was highly effective when he played. He began his college career coming off the bench for the 2017 Gonzaga team that reached the NCAA Championship game, ultimately losing to North Carolina.

In his sophomore year, he joined the starting lineup and averaged 12.9 points and 5.9 rebounds, making nearly 48% of his three-point attempts. He was limited to just 15 games in his junior season.

During his senior year, Tillie started 24 games, achieving a career-high average of 13.6 points, along with 5.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Over his 108 career games, he shot 60.3% from two-point range and 44.4% from beyond the arc.

He received second-team All-WCC honors in 2018 and was named to the first team in 2020.

Other Gonzaga alumni who have played for Unicaja Malaga include Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis, the latter of whom played there before joining Gonzaga.

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