// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Will Riley? Will he?
 Riley with the Washington Wizards in 2025 | |
| No. 27 – Washington Wizards | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 10, 2006 Kitchener, Ontario, Canada |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College | Illinois (2024–2025) |
| NBA draft | 2025: 1st round, 21st overall pick |
| Drafted by | Utah Jazz |
| Playing career | 2025–present |
| Career history | |
| 2025–present | Washington Wizards |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
William Riley (born February 10, 2006) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini.
High school career
[edit]Riley attended high school at Southwest Academy Prep in London, Ontario with brief stops at Preston High School and Grand River Collegiate Institute.[1] He then attended The Phelps School in Malvern, Pennsylvania where he spent the last two years of his high school career.
He averaged 21.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in the EYBL and was named Offensive MVP of the EYBL Indy Session, starring for UPlay Canada.[2]
He was named MVP of the 2024 Basketball Without Borders Global Camp during NBA All-Star weekend.[3]
Recruiting
[edit]He was ranked as the top-ranked Canadian prospect and No. 9 overall by 247Sports, No. 10 by On3 and No. 11 by Rivals in the class of 2025. On June 23, 2024, Riley committed to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He was originally part of the class of 2025 but reclassified to 2024 to join earlier. At the time of his signing, Riley was the highest-ranked recruit signed by Illinois in the internet era, surpassing Dee Brown from the class of 2002.[2]
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will Riley SF |
Kitchener, ON | The Phelps School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jun 23, 2024 | |
Recruit ratings: Rivals:  247Sports: On3: ESPN: | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: Rivals: 11 247Sports: 10 On3: 20 | ||||||
Sources:
| ||||||
College career
[edit]On November 11, 2024, Riley was named the first Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the 2024–25 season. Riley's overall week (averaging 22.5 points and seven rebounds per game) in two Illinois wins, as well as his securing the Illini freshman scoring record, tipped the scales in his favor.[4] He went on to receive the award twice more.[5] Following the Big Ten regular season's conclusion, he was named Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year.[6] He later declared for the 2025 NBA draft,[7] and received a green room invite in the second wave of invitations on June 16.[8]
Professional career
[edit]In the 2025 NBA draft, Riley was selected 21st overall by the Utah Jazz and traded to the Washington Wizards.[9] He made his professional debut with the Wizards on October 22, 2025, scoring two points in a 133–120 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks.[10] On April 5, 2026, Riley became the first Wizards rookie since Calbert Cheaney in February 1994 to record consecutive 30-point games.[11] Additionally, Riley became the youngest player since Lebron James in 2004 to record at least 30 points and five steals in one game.
Career statistics
[edit]| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025–26 | Washington | 74 | 18 | 22.1 | .439 | .316 | .800 | 2.9 | 2.0 | .7 | .1 | 10.3 |
| Career | 74 | 18 | 22.1 | .439 | .316 | .800 | 2.9 | 2.0 | .7 | .1 | 10.3 | |
College
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | Illinois | 35 | 9 | 25.7 | .432 | .326 | .724 | 4.1 | 2.2 | .3 | .3 | 12.6 |
References
[edit]- ↑ Bryson, Mark (March 2, 2024). "Kitchener's Will Riley hot in pursuit of NBA dream". The Record. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
- 1 2 "Riley Signs with Illinois". University of Illinois Athletics. June 23, 2024. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
- ↑ "Canadian Will Riley named MVP of BWB Global camp". FIBA.basketball. February 19, 2024. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
- ↑ Langendorf, Jason (2024-11-11). "Illinois Guard Will Riley Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
- ↑ "Riley Nabs Third B1G Freshman of the Week Accolade". University of Illinois Athletics. 2026-02-21. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
- ↑ Werner, Jeremy (2025-03-12). "Illini freshman Will Riley wins Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year". 247Sports. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
- ↑ Givony, Johnathan (2025-04-14). "Illinois' Will Riley, projected 1st-rounder, enters NBA draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
- ↑ Givony, Johnathan (2025-06-16). "Sources: Six more players receive NBA draft green room invites". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
- ↑ Mittal, Sahil (2025-06-25). "Will Riley drafted No. 21 by Utah Jazz, traded to Washington Wizards". The Daily Illini. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
- ↑ "Will Riley Stats". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
- ↑ Ghafir, Ahmed (2026-04-06). "Will Riley Shines for Short-Handed Wizards to Make History". RoundtableSports. Retrieved 2026-07-11.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from NBA.com · Basketball Reference
- Illinois Fighting Illini bio
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