Grant Riller


Grant Lucas Riller is an American professional basketball player for the Beijing Royal Fighters of the Chinese Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the College of Charleston Cougars.

High school career

Riller played basketball for Ocoee High School in Ocoee, Florida under head coach Rob Gordon. He was called up to the varsity team in ninth grade after initially playing at the junior varsity level. As a senior on December 28, 2014, Riller scored a school-record 53 points in a win over Leesburg High School in the finals of the Ocoee Great 8 tournament. He averaged 29.1 points per game in his senior season. Riller was deemed a two-star recruit by 247Sports and was not rated by ESPN or Rivals. On October 4, 2014, he committed to play college basketball for the College of Charleston over offers from Cleveland State, FIU, and Hofstra.

College career

Riller suffered a knee injury prior to his freshman season and was forced to redshirt. He was forced to wear a knee brace despite working all summer to get to full strength. In his collegiate debut, Riller scored 21 points against The [Citadel Bulldogs basketball|The Citadel]. He averaged 13.1 points per game as a freshman, second-best on the team. Riller scored 20 points and added four steals in a 83–76 overtime victory over Northeastern in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament. He was named 2018 CAA Tournament Most Outstanding player and joined teammate Joe Chealey on the All-CAA First Team. Riller averaged 18.7 points per game as a sophomore. He scored a career-high 43 points in a 99–95 loss to Hofstra. As a junior, Riller averaged 21.9 points and 4.1 assists per game and led the Cougars to a 24–9 record. He was again named first-team All-CAA.
Coming into his senior year, Riller was named CAA preseason player of the year. On December 14, 2019, Riller became the third Cougar in program history to reach the 2,000 career point mark, scoring 21 in a road loss to Richmond. On January 16, 2020, he recorded the first-ever triple-double by a College of Charleston player, with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a loss to Northeastern. At the conclusion of the regular season, Riller was named to the First Team All-CAA. As a senior, Riller averaged 21.9 points, 3.9 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game.

Professional career

Charlotte Hornets (2020–2021)

On November 18, 2020, Riller was drafted in the second round, 56th overall, in the NBA draft">National Basketball Association">NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets. On November 30, 2020, he was signed to a two-way contract by the team. Under the terms of the deal, he split time between the Hornets and their NBA G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm. He played in 11 G League games, averaging 13.1 points and 3.1 assists per game, and appeared in seven NBA games, averaging 2.6 points and 0.4 assists per game.

Delaware Blue Coats (2021)

On August 30, 2021, Riller signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. However, he was waived on December 19 after making four appearances for the Delaware Blue Coats, Philadelphia's affiliate.

Texas Legends (2022–2023)

On November 3, 2022, Riller was named to the opening night roster of the Texas Legends. Across 26 games he averaged 21.3 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game.

Beijing Royal Fighters (2023–present)

In August of 2023, Riller signed to play for the Beijing Royal Fighters of the Chinese Basketball Association. In his first season with the team, Riller averaged 15.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game in 44 appearances. He improved in his second season, averaging 20.3 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game in 43 appearances.