Michigan State's Xavier Tillman Sr. on Winning NBA Championship

Former Michigan State men's basketball forward Xavier Tillman Sr. recently became just the ninth Spartan to win an NBA title.

Jun 14, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) shoots as Boston Celtics forward Xavier Tillman (26) defends during the first quarter of game four of the 2024 NBA Finals at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Last week, former Michigan State men's basketball forward Xavier Tillman Sr. joined some select company by becoming just the ninth Spartan to win an NBA championship when he and the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks to win the franchise's league-leading 18th franchise title.

Tillman, who wrapped up just his fourth season in the NBA has already seen much team success since being drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft, having made the postseason every year he's been in the league so far.

It didn't take long for him to finally be able to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Tillman experienced his team's championship parade in the historic city of Boston last week.

"That is like a top-5 best experience of my life," Tillman told WBZ-TV's Dan Roche. "Other than the birth of my children and my wedding, that was up there. Seeing the fans, I don't think I've ever seen so much love from fans in my life. So that was pretty awesome."

After the parade experience, Tillman has a better understanding of the feeling that comes with winning at the highest level.

"I didn't have any expectations going in, but coming out of it, I can see why people want to repeat and want to win as many championships as possible once they get their first one," he said.

Tillman, who was traded by the Grizzlies to the Celtics before the 2024 trade deadline, would play two games in this year's NBA Finals. His most notable performance was Game 3 in Dallas, where he made a 3-pointer and also put the clamps on the Mavericks' best player, Luka Doncic, a five-time All-NBA First Team honoree and the league's 2024 scoring champion. Tillman played 11 minutes in that contest.

"It felt amazing, it felt amazing," Tillman told NBC Sports Boston following that Game 3 outing. "I feel like all the preparation that I've gone through, I was ready for my moment whenever it was needed. I play my game, my game is defense, my game is communication, my game is setting screens and hitting corner 3's. That's me, playing my game."

Tillman averaged 4.0 points per game, 2.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists in his 20 games with Boston this season.

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