A once-promising Spartan NBA career may have come to an end. Former Michigan State big man Xavier Tillman has played in the NBA since 2020-21, but he’s choosing a new path next season.
Tillman left Michigan State after his junior season and was drafted in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies where he joined fellow Spartan Jaren Jackson Jr. He spent 3.5 seasons with the Grizzlies before getting traded mid-season to the Boston Celtics where he won an NBA title.
The NBA champion was then dealt to the Charlotte Hornets midway through the 2025-27 season and averaged just 4.5 minutes per game in 16 appearances. He teamed up with another former Michigan State teammate in Miles Bridges but he’s found a new home overseas.
Tillman has signed with Trabzonspor in Turkey ahead of what would have been a free agency summer.
Former Hornets Xavier Tillman has signed with Trabzonspor in Turkey https://t.co/3RWhPaujCA
— James Plowright (@British_Buzz) June 24, 2026
The move is rather surprising considering he had carved out a six-year NBA career and had played for three teams, but he was probably sick of being an end-of-bench guy and didn’t want to stick around to hope for a new contract elsewhere. He took it upon himself to make the move and now he’s headed overseas for the first time in his basketball career.
Trabzonspor didn’t have any household names on its roster this past season but Joseph Girard III, a former Clemson and Syracuse guard, was the team’s second-leading scorer.
Tillman is going to try and make a name for himself overseas.
Recapping Xavier Tillman’s NBA career
Never say never, but it sure seems like Tillman’s time in the NBA is up after this recent contract with the Turkish club. He could still find his way back, but it doesn’t seem likely.
Tillman didn’t have the most productive NBA career of all time but he filled his role nicely, especially in his earlier seasons. He was drafted by Memphis where he started 56 games over 3.5 years and averaged over 15 minutes per game in three of the four seasons. He was looked at as a defensive stopper and had some really big moments in the NBA Playoffs, but he wasn’t consistent offensively.
He was traded to the Celtics midway through the 2023-24 season and he won an NBA title before seeing his role sliced in half the next year with Boston, averaging just 7.0 minutes per game in 33 appearances. Tillman started just three games in 47 appearances with Boston.
Following 2.5 seasons with Boston, Tillman was dealt to Charlotte where he played this past season and averaged the lowest minutes per game (4.5) of his career.
At least he’ll have a bigger role in Turkey next season. It’ll be sad to see him leave the NBA.
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