Exclusive: Catching up with Xavier Tillman Sr. in Boston
While observing Xavier Tillman on the parquet basketball court in Boston, one cannot miss his infectious energy and his penchant for acknowledging his teammates' contributions. In my opinion, it is these qualities that set him apart from the average NBA player. I had the opportunity to sit down with Tillman for a wide-ranging conversation following Boston’s 124-107 victory over Portland in which he scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds in 17 minutes of action.
During our discussion about achieving success in the NBA, Tillman emphasized the significance of seizing his opportunities and maintaining his professionalism.
“It's all about opportunity," Tillman said. "Not so much the talent. It's a lot about opportunity. And then also about being a professional as far as the little things -- showing up on time, having a good attitude, working hard every day. Those little things kind of go a long way, right? For the people who, you know, who matter.”
Tillman is right. Talent alone isn't enough; punctuality, a positive attitude, and unwavering work ethic are crucial. These seemingly small attributes do indeed resonate profoundly with those who offer opportunities in the league.
Tillman’s MSU journey began in the fall of 2017, as one of two nationally-ranked incoming recruits, including his longtime friend, Jaren Jackson Jr. Their debut season in the green and white saw them win the regular-season Big Ten championship and a game in the NCAA tournament.
“(JJJ) is one of my closest friends," said Tillman. "I've known him since I was, like, 16, 17? We've been playing against each other our whole lives, but like, 16, 17 we met. And then we played AU together. Then we were at Michigan State and got a chance to play in the NBA together. It's been awesome.”
After their season together at Michigan State, Jackson left for the NBA draft and the Memphis Grizzlies and Tillman began to emerge as a stalwart for the Spartans.
Over the next two seasons, Tillman played pivotal roles in the Spartans' journey to the 2019 Final Four and their back-to-back Big Ten Conference championships and was looking for the opportunity to get back to the Final Four in 2020 and perhaps win it all.
But then the global pandemic made its way to our shores.
“That was rough," Tillman remembered. "They had already started playing (the Big Ten Tournament). We had a bye since we won the regular season. We were getting ready to leave. We had practice. It was like, okay, we have some time before we leave. People are going to go back, take a nap and then, you know, whatever. So we had practice and saw coach Hoiberg really got sick with this thing. They think it's COVID or whatever. So we're going to cancel the (Big Ten) tournament. We're like, ah, no problem. You know, we're still going to have an NCAA tournament."
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