Former Gonzaga standout renews contract with Spanish club

Tillie's new deal, which Unicaja announced on Wednesday, can extend to the 2026-27 campaign as well. Tillie initially signed with Unicaja upon his return to organized basketball this time a year ago, when he suited up in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League after rehabbing from a back injury he suffered toward the end of the 2021-22 NBA season.

Tillie's comeback with his new professional team saw the 6-foot-9 Frenchman regain his outside shooting stroke and comfort level out on the court again. Not only did his 53.2% shooting clip from behind the arc lead the Endesa League last season, but it was also the second-highest 3-point field goal percentage in a single season in league history.

When combining his appearances in the Endesa League, Basketball Champions League and other competitions and tournaments last season, Tillie converted 45.5% of his attempts from downtown — the second-best mark in Unicaja club history — and helped the team come out victorious in 38 of its 49 contests, equating to the fourth-highest winning percentage by a player in club history.

Overall, Tillie averaged 7.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in about 13 minutes per contest. He also shot 54.6% from the field and 74% from the free-throw line while appearing in 49 games, including 12 starts. Unicaja finished the regular season 23-11 before falling to eventual champion Real Madrid in the semifinal round of the playoffs.

Prior to joining Gonzaga in 2016, Tillie earned MVP honors after he helped his team win the 2013 FIBA U16 Division A European Championships, as he averaged 14.3 points and 9.6 rebounds and shot a tournament-best 63.4% from the field. He also guided France to a bronze medal at the 2015 FIBA 3-on-3 U18 World Championships.

At Gonzaga, Tillie was twice named to the All-WCC team and was a Karl Malone award finalist as a senior in 2019-20. He averaged 9.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and shot 44.4% from 3-point range across his 108 games played in college.

After going undrafted, Tillie signed a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies in November 2020. He appeared in 54 games across two seasons with the team, averaging 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds before being released in October 2022.

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