Grant Riller
Grant Riller | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 8, 1997 United States |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Known for | Playing for Beijing Royal Fighters in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) |
Grant Lucas Riller (born February 8, 1997) is a professional basketball athlete from the United States currently playing for the Beijing Royal Fighters in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He competed at the collegiate level with the College of Charleston Cougars.
High school career
Riller developed his basketball skills at Ocoee High School in Ocoee, Florida, where he was coached by Rob Gordon. He advanced from the junior varsity squad to join the varsity team as a freshman. During his senior year, he set a school record by scoring 53 points in the championship game of the Ocoee Great 8 tournament against Leesburg High School. That season, he maintained an impressive average of 29.1 points per game. Rated as a two-star recruit by 247Sports, Riller committed to the College of Charleston on October 4, 2014, choosing them over offers from Cleveland State, FIU, and Hofstra.
College career
Riller sat out his initial collegiate year as a redshirt due to a knee injury and continued to wear a brace despite undergoing rigorous rehabilitation over the summer. In his first official college game, he scored 21 points against The Citadel. As a freshman, he averaged 13.1 points per contest, ranking second on his team. During the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, he delivered a standout performance with 20 points and four steals in an 83–76 overtime victory over Northeastern, earning him the 2018 CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player award and a spot on the All-CAA First Team alongside teammate Joe Chealey. His sophomore campaign saw an increase to 18.7 points per game, highlighted by a career-best 43-point effort in a narrow 99–95 defeat to Hofstra.
In his junior season, Riller averaged 21.9 points and contributed 4.1 assists per game, leading the Cougars to a 24–9 record and securing another first-team All-CAA honor. Prior to his senior season, he was recognized as the CAA preseason player of the year. On December 14, 2019, Riller became only the third player in College of Charleston history to surpass 2,000 career points by scoring 21 points in a loss to Richmond. On January 16, 2020, he recorded the first triple-double in program history with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists during a defeat against Northeastern. He concluded his final regular season once again named to the First Team All-CAA while averaging 21.9 points, 3.9 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game.
Charlotte Hornets (2020–2021)
Riller was selected with the 56th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets on November 18, 2020. He signed a two-way contract on November 30 that allowed him to split time between Charlotte and their NBA G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm. Over 11 G League appearances, he averaged 13.1 points and 3.1 assists per game while also participating in seven NBA games where he posted averages of 2.6 points and 0.4 assists.
Delaware Blue Coats (2021)
On August 30, 2021, Riller inked a two-way deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, but was waived on December 19 after making four appearances for their G League team, the Delaware Blue Coats.
Texas Legends (2022–2023)
Riller was included in the Texas Legends roster for their season opener on November 3, 2022. Throughout 26 contests, he posted averages of 21.3 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per outing.
Beijing Royal Fighters (2023–present)
In August 2023, Riller inked a deal with the Beijing Royal Fighters competing in the Chinese Basketball Association. During his initial campaign, he recorded averages of 15.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists over 44 games played. In his sophomore season with the team, his performance elevated to 20.3 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.6 rebounds across 43 appearances.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte | 7 || 0 || 3.9 || .667 || .500 || — || .1 || .4 || .1 || .0 || 2.6 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 7 || 0 || 3.9 || .667 || .500 || — || .1 || .4 || .1 || .0 || 2.6
College
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2015–16 | style="text-align:left;"| College of Charleston | style="text-align:center" colspan="11"| Redshirt |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2016–17 | style="text-align:left;"| College of Charleston | 35 || 27 || 27.0 || .486 || .333 || .798 || 2.1 || 1.2 || .9 || .2 || 13.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2017–18 | style="text-align:left;"| College of Charleston | 33 || 32 || 33.6 || .545 || .394 || .729 || 2.8 || 2.0 || 1.3 || .4 || 18.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19 | style="text-align:left;"| College of Charleston | 33 || 33 || 35.5 || .538 || .329 || .806 || 3.4 || 4.1 || 1.2 || .1 || 21.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20 | style="text-align:left;"| College of Charleston | 31 || 31 || 33.5 || .499 || .362 || .827 || 5.1 || 3.9 || 1.6 || .3 || 21.9 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center" colspan="2"| Career | 132 || 123 || 32.3 || .519 || .356 || .796 || 3.3 || 2.8 || 1.3 || .3 || 18.7