Kyle Gregory Wiltjer (born October 20, 1992) is a Canadian-American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for Reyer Venezia Mestre of the Italian

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club (sport), club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball ...

(LBA). He spent two seasons of

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

with the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30, ...

before transferring to play with the

Gonzaga Bulldogs The Gonzaga Bulldogs (), also known unofficially as the Zags, are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing Gonzaga University, located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Gonzaga competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

in 2013. A dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, he has played for the Canada national team.

High school career

Born and raised in Portland, Wiltjer attended Jesuit High School in

Beaverton, Oregon Beaverton is a city in the Tualatin Valley, located in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon, with a small portion bordering Portland. The city is among the main cities that make up the Portland metropolitan area. Its population was ...

, where he led the school to three consecutive Oregon state championships. Wiltjer played in the 2011 McDonald's All-American Game in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He also played in the 2011

Nike Hoop Summit The Nike Hoop Summit is an international basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, Inc., Nike, held once a year, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select Team of international players. The players demons ...

in his hometown of Portland and in the 2011

Jordan Brand Classic The Jordan Brand Classic is a high school all star basketball game played annually in April. The game's rosters feature the best and most highly recruited high school boys and girls in the senior class. In 2015, a girl's game was introduced. Th ...

in Charlotte.

College recruiting and career

Wiltjer was ranked as the No. 18 recruit in the class of 2011 in the

ESPNU ESPNU is an American multinational digital cable and satellite sports television channel owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remain ...

100, the No. 25 recruit by Rivals.com, and the No. 22 recruit by Scout.com. He chose to play basketball for the University of Kentucky Wildcats and coach

John Calipari John Vincent Calipari (; born February 10, 1959) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach at the Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball, University of Arkansas. He has been named Naismith College Coach of the Year three times (1996, 2 ...

on August 28, 2010. He had also considered

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, Gonzaga,

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

, and Wake Forest. Although he was a five-star recruit according to all of the recruiting analysts, Kyle Wiltjer never started a game his freshman season at Kentucky, and did not play as many minutes as fellow freshmen

Anthony Davis Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. (born March 11, 1993), nicknamed "AD" and "the Brow", is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Davis, a Power forward (basketball), power f ...

, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Marquis Teague. He averaged only 11.3 MPG and 4.8 PPG, although his three-point percentage was an impressive 42.5%. The Kentucky Wildcats won the 2012 NCAA championship during Wiltjer's freshman year. Wiltjer began the 2012–13 season as a starter. In his third game of the season, against Lafayette, he accumulated 23 points, two assists, and four rebounds. However, he would eventually settle into an off-the-bench role, being named the SEC's Sixth Man of the Year. In April 2013, he had announced he would remain at Kentucky for his junior season. However, he eventually changed his mind, posting a letter on Kentucky's official athletic website on June 23 indicating that he would transfer in order to "compete the way I know I can. ... wherever that may be." A later report indicated that Wiltjer had drawn interest from three of the four Division I programs in his home state of Oregon (

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, Oregon State, Portland), Gonzaga,

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

, and Texas. According to that report, "he left the door open to return to Kentucky if he can't find the right situation." On July 19, multiple media outlets reported that Wiltjer had chosen Gonzaga. The transfer became official the next day, when Gonzaga received a signed copy of a financial aid agreement. After sitting out the 2013–14 season due to NCAA transfer rules, he had two remaining seasons of eligibility. In February 2015 he scored a career-high 45 points against

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

. Wiltjer led Gonzaga to its second ever Elite Eight appearance and a school record 35–3 record. He was named a Consensus Second-Team All-American, as well as First-Team All-WCC and WCC Newcomer of the Year. In his first season with Gonzaga he appeared in 38 games averaging 16.8

points per game Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player or team per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of poi ...

, 6.2 rebounds per game and 1.9 assists per game in 27.6 minutes per game. After contemplating forgoing his remaining eligibility to enter the

2015 NBA draft The 2015 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2015, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It was televised nationally in the U.S. by ESPN. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eli ...

, Wiltjer decided to return to Gonzaga for his senior year. Entering his second season with Gonzaga, Wiltjer was named CBS Sports' preseason player of the year. Sports Illustrated projected Wiltjer as the preseason player of the year, scoring champion, and the top-usage player in all of NCAA Division 1 basketball. He was named to the 35-man midseason watchlist for the

Naismith Trophy The Naismith Trophy is a trophy awarded to the men's champion of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, and is named in honor of basketball's inventor, James Naismith. The trophy was first awarded to the winner of the 1967 FIBA World Championship. The ...

on February 11.

Professional career

Houston Rockets (2016–2017)

After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Wiltjer joined the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

for the 2016 NBA Summer League. On September 23, 2016, he signed with the Rockets. Wiltjer appeared in four of the Rockets' first 25 games of the 2016–17 season, scoring a total of three points. On December 14, 2016, he scored a season-high seven points in a 132–98 win over the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

. During his rookie season, Wiltjer had multiple assignments with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets' D-League affiliate. On June 28, 2017, the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

acquired Wiltjer, Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, Darrun Hilliard, DeAndre Liggins, Lou Williams and a 2018 Top 3 Protected first-round pick (which ended up being pick #30) from the Houston Rockets in exchange for

Chris Paul Christopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985), nicknamed "CP3" and "the Point God", is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Regarded by some as one of the greatest p ...

. He was later waived by the Clippers on July 15, 2017.

Olympiacos (2017–2018)

On August 15, 2017, Wiltjer signed with the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

. On October 7 he was waived by the Raptors. On October 21, he signed with the Toronto Raptors'

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

affiliate, the Raptors 905. On October 29, 2017, Wiltjer signed with Olympiacos Piraeus of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the Greek basketball league system, first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the ...

and the

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

Unicaja (2018–2019)

On July 3, 2018, Wiltjer signed a one-year deal with Unicaja of the Spanish

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

Türk Telekom (2019–2021)

Wiltjer signed with Türk Telekom in July 2019. He averaged 12.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game in the 2019–20 season, and then averaged 18.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in the 2020–21 season.

Canarias (2021–2022)

On July 13, 2021, Wiltjer signed a one-year contract with Lenovo Tenerife of the Spanish

Zhejiang Lions (2022–2023)

On October 2, 2022, Wiltjer signed with the

Zhejiang Lions The Zhejiang Guangsha Lions () are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, which plays in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association. Guangsha is the name of the club's corporate sponsor, but to prevent con ...

of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier men's professional basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

(CBA).

Reyer Venezia (2023–present)

On September 21, 2023, Wiltjer signed with Reyer Venezia Mestre of the Italian

(LBA).

National team career

Canada junior national team

As a member of the Canadian Under-18 junior national team, Wiltjer won a bronze medal at the 2010

FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship The FIBA Under-18 AmeriCup, previously known as the FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship, is the Americas basketball championship for men's under-18 national teams that takes place every two years in the FIBA Americas zone. The top four finishers ...

. As a member of the Canadian university national team, he played at the 2013 World University Games.

Canada senior national team

With the senior Canada national basketball team, Wiltjer played at the

2015 Pan American Games The 2015 Pan American Games (), officially the XVII Pan American Games () and commonly known as the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am Games (Toronto 2015), were a major international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Pan American Games, ...

, where he won a silver medal. In 2019, Wiltjer participated in the

2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 18th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams, held from 31 August to 15 September 2019. The tournament was hosted in China and was rescheduled from 2018 to 2019, b ...

in China. Wiltjer was the team leader in point per game at 16.4. The team finished 21st out of 32 teams.

Career statistics

Professional

NBA

=Regular season

= , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, 14 , , 0 , , 3.1 , , .286 , , .308 , , .500 , , .7 , , .1 , , .2 , , .1 , , .9

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 1 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , 1.000 , , 1.000 , , – , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 3.0

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...

, 24 , , 2 , , 9.4 , , .476 , , .420 , , .667 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , .2 , , .1 , , 4.5 , , 3.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", , 24 , , 2 , , 9.4 , , .476 , , .420 , , .667 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , .2 , , .1 , , 4.5 , , 3.3

College

, - , align="left" , 2011–12 , align="left" ,

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, 40 , , 0 , , 11.6 , , .438 , , .432 , , .815 , , 1.8 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 0.4 , , 5.0 , - , align="left" , 2012–13 , align="left" ,

, 33 , , 10 , , 23.8 , , .421 , , .367 , , .810 , , 4.2 , , 1.5 , , 0.4 , , 0.4 , , 10.2 , - , align="left" , 2014–15 , align="left" , Gonzaga , 38 , , 37 , , 27.6 , , .540 , , .466 , , .789 , , 6.2 , , 1.9 , , 0.5 , , 0.7 , , 16.8 , - , align="left" , 2015–16 , align="left" , Gonzaga , 36 , , 36 , , 33.6 , , .491 , , .437 , , .857 , , 6.3 , , 1.5 , , 0.4 , , 0.8 , , 20.4 , - class="sortbottom" ! style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career ! 147 , , 83 , , 23.8 , , .487 , , .425 , , .814 , , 4.6 , , 1.3 , , 0.3 , , 0.6 , , 13.0

Awards and honors

High school

* 2011

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American multinational fast food chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese chain Mixue Ice Cream & Tea. Brothers ...

team selection * 2011

High School All-American team selection * 2011

World team selection * 2011 Gatorade Player of the Year – Oregon

College

* 2012

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

National Champion – Kentucky * 2013 SEC Sixth Man of the Year * 2015 WCC Newcomer of the year * 2015 First-Team All-WCC * 2015 USBWA Second-Team All-American

Personal life

Wiltjer's father, Greg, is a former Canadian professional basketball player who was a member of the Canadian national basketball team at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

. His paternal half-sister and Greg's daughter, Jordan Adams, is also a former professional player. Both Greg and Adams also represented Canada. Through Adams, Wiltjer has two nieces. Wiltjer and his former girlfriend Charday Hunt, who was a Sacramento State Hornets player and later a Nike employee, married in

Ios Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

, Greece, in 2019.

High school career

College recruiting and career

Professional career

Houston Rockets (2016–2017)

Olympiacos (2017–2018)

Unicaja (2018–2019)

Türk Telekom (2019–2021)

Canarias (2021–2022)

Zhejiang Lions (2022–2023)

Reyer Venezia (2023–present)

National team career

Canada junior national team

Canada senior national team

Career statistics

Professional

NBA

=Regular season

Playoffs

EuroLeague

College

Awards and honors

High school

College

Personal life

See also

References

External links