Where did Xavier Tillman Sr. go to college?

Born on January 12, 1999, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Xavier Tillman Sr. is a 6 feet 8 inch forward who plays for the Boston Celtics as a backup power forward. He was recently traded from the Memphis Grizzlies on the trade deadline in 2024.

Tillman was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the 35th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft but was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies on draft night. He played for the Grizzlies for three seasons, where he also made multiple playoff appearances.

At the end of the 2023-24 regular season, Tillman averaged 5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.

Xavier Tillman Sr. College

Xavier Tillman played for Michigan State for three seasons. He chose their program over Purdue and Marquette saying “They play the best competition, as well as they are such great guys and it's closer to home. Tillman was rated a four-star recruit coming out of high school and was rated the best prospect in Michigan by 247Sports.

During his three-year stint at Michigan State, Tillman made an impact on the basketball program. He was the most improved player at MSU as a freshman. In the second round of the NCAA tournament, Tillman played his career-high freshman minutes (22) and grabbed 12 rebounds out of which nine were offensive rebounds. He was also third in field-goal percentage on his team.

Tillman made a great leap in his sophomore season (2018/19), winning the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year. From his freshman year to his sophomore season, Tillman improved his game and evolved into a dominant force averaging 10.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.7 blocks, improving on both ends. He had 65 blocks in that season which is ranked fourth most blocks in a season in Michigan State’s history.

Michigan State made the final four in the NCAA tournament in 2018/19, sharing the regular season championship with Purdue. Tillman Sr. played an important role in that by averaging the most blocks on the team, second in rebounds, fourth in points, and second in field goal percentage.

He was named to the East Regional All-tournament team with the likes of Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett. Michigan State who was seeded second, defeated the number one seed Duke in the East region finals (Elite-Eight) who had Zion and RJ Barrett. Tillman was a key player scoring 19 points, nine rebounds, one assist, three steals, and two blocks, he shot the ball at 67% causing a big upset in the NCAA 2019 tournament.

During his junior season, Tillman took his game to new heights on both ends, dominating pick-and-rolls. He averaged 13.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists (career high) with 2.1 blocks per game. He was the only player in Division 1 other than Tim Duncan in 1996-97 and Bo Outlaw in 92-93 to average 13.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 blocks per game.

Tillman was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and was named on the All-Big Ten second team in his junior season. He also earned a place on the Academic All-American Second Team for excelling both in academics and sports.

Xavier Tillman’s record for most blocks in Michigan State history was broken in 2022. He is now ranked second as of May 2024.

Xavier Tillman Sr. College Stats