Will Riley of Kitchener, Ont. selected in first round of NBA draft

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Basketball player from Kitchener, Ont. is selected in the NBA draft

Day One of NBA draft pick includes Canadian Will Riley

Will Riley picked in round one of the NBA draft

A basketball player from Kitchener, Ont. is headed to the big league.

Will Riley, 19, was selected 21st overall in the first round by the NBA’s Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.

But he won’t play for the team, as he was traded shortly after to the Washington Wizards.

“Utah wanted to take Washington’s pick at the 18th overall because they were going after a player named Walter Clayton Jr.,” explained TSN’s Wesley Cheng. “Utah was willing to give up additional draft assets in order to trade up. Washington happily accepted.”

Riley attended both Grand River Collegiate Institute in Kitchener and Preston High School in Cambridge. He also played with the K-W Vipers basketball club.

The 6-foot-8 forward then moved the Phelps School in Malvern, Pennsylvania where he was flagged as a standout on the hardwood.

In early 2024, the then 18-year-old was named MVP out of the 40 best high school players in the world, outside of the United States. That announcement was made during the NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis.

Riley then moved on to the NCAA and the University of Illinois, where he played one season for the Illinois Fighting Illini. During those 35 matches, he averaged 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

Riley is only the 22nd Canadian since 2011 to be drafted by the NBA in the first round.

“He is all in on being as good as he can be,” said Trey Morin, his former coach at the Phelps School. “He had a goal and he had a dream. And he was able to realize that last night, which a lot of kids can’t do. Now he’s got new goals and new dreams and I’m sure he’ll attack those with as much vigor as he did these ones.”

Riley is also the second basketball player from Kitchener to play for the league.

Jamal Murray was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 2016 and still plays for the team. Like Riley, he is also a former student of Grand River Collegiate Institute.

‘The kid’s relentless’

Riley’s parents, Tracy and Ray, are still coming to terms with Wednesday’s announcement.

“It’s an incredible experience, we’re still trying to process it,” Tracy said the day after the draft.

The couple spoke to CTV News shortly after they arrived in Washington, D.C.

“We’ve just landed,” Tracy said. “We just met the head coach [Brian Keefe]. We’re about to go meet the rest of the organization and get a tour of Will’s new home.”

Riley’s parents were also with him when his name was called at the NBA draft.

“The whole experience at the table was a little nerve wracking, but Will handled himself well and kept the whole table calm,” Tracy recalled. “He kept reaching out and grabbing my hand through the process and just telling me to breath. It was an unbelievable experience.”

Both Tracy and Ray praised the people in Waterloo Region who helped Riley develop his basketball skills.

“It’s so nice Will had coaches that believed in him,” Tracy said. “He’s driven, and he plays basketball every single day. He’s getting 1,500 to 2,000 shots a day. The kid’s relentless when it comes to this sport.”

“When it comes to the coaches and the accolades they have for Will, I’m not surprised,” added Ray. “Like Tracy said, he is driven. He’s just a nice kid and just wants to get better.”

- With reporting by Karis Mapp