Derek Willis facts for kids
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| Paris Basketball | |
|---|---|
| Power forward | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | June 21, 1995 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| High school | Bullitt East (Mount Washington, Kentucky) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 229 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Kentucky (2013–2017) |
| NBA Draft | 2017 / Undrafted |
| Pro career | 2017–present |
| League | LNB Élite EuroLeague |
| Career history | |
| 2017–2018 | Grand Rapids Drive |
| 2018–2019 | Göttingen |
| 2019–2020 | Ratiopharm Ulm |
| 2020–2021 | Brindisi |
| 2021–2022 | Badalona |
| 2022–2023 | Venezia |
| 2023–2025 | Anadolu Efes |
| 2025–present | Paris Basketball |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Derek Xavier Willis (born June 21, 1995) is an American basketball player. He plays for Paris Basketball in France. This team competes in the LNB Pro A league and the EuroLeague. Before becoming a professional, Derek played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Contents
- Early Life and Background
- High School Basketball
- College Basketball Journey
- Professional Basketball Career
- Playing for Grand Rapids Drive (2017–2018)
- Time in Germany: BG Göttingen (2018–2019) and Ratiopharm Ulm (2019–2020)
- Playing in Italy: Happy Casa Brindisi (2020–2021) and Reyer Venezia (2022–2023)
- Playing in Spain: Club Joventut Badalona (2021–2022)
- Playing in Turkey: Anadolu Efes (2023–2025)
- Current Team: Paris Basketball (2025–present)
- International Games
- Images for kids
- See also
Early Life and Background
Derek Willis is special because he is one of the few Native American players in top-level college basketball. His mother has roots in three different Native American tribes: the Southern Arapaho, Pawnee, and Muscogee.
Even though Derek was born in Louisville, Kentucky, he spent some of his childhood living with his family on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. He has said that his favorite memories from when he was a kid are from his time on the reservation. Later, his family moved back to the Louisville area, settling in a town called Mount Washington.
High School Basketball
When Derek was a senior at Bullitt East High School, he was already quite tall at 6 feet 9 inches. He weighed about 200 pounds. During his senior year, he was a star player. He scored an average of 17.4 points in each game. He also grabbed 9.4 rebounds per game, which means he was very good at getting the ball after a missed shot.
College Basketball Journey
Derek Willis was the very first player to commit to the Kentucky Wildcats for their 2013–14 season. He chose Kentucky over other big basketball schools like Indiana and Louisville.
He played for the Wildcats for four years, appearing in 103 games. On average, he scored 5.4 points and got 3.4 rebounds per game. He was also a good shooter from long range, making 108 three-point shots during his college career.
Derek and the Wildcats won the SEC tournament three times in a row, from 2015 to 2017. In 2015, his team even made it to the NCAA Final Four, which is a huge achievement in college basketball. On his "senior night," which is a special game for players in their last year, Derek proposed to his girlfriend.
Professional Basketball Career
After college, Derek Willis started his professional basketball journey.
Playing for Grand Rapids Drive (2017–2018)
Even though he wasn't chosen in the NBA draft, Derek was signed by the Detroit Pistons. He then joined their G League team, the Grand Rapids Drive. In his first professional game on November 3, 2017, he scored the winning basket for his team. He played 43 games for the Drive, starting in 38 of them. He averaged 11.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
Time in Germany: BG Göttingen (2018–2019) and Ratiopharm Ulm (2019–2020)
In July 2018, Derek moved to Germany to play for BG Göttingen in the Basketball Bundesliga. He played 34 games, averaging 12.0 points and 5.0 rebounds. The next year, in July 2019, he signed a two-year contract with another German team, Ratiopharm Ulm. During the 2019–20 season, he averaged 7.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Playing in Italy: Happy Casa Brindisi (2020–2021) and Reyer Venezia (2022–2023)
Derek then moved to Italy. In July 2020, he joined Happy Casa Brindisi in the Lega Basket Serie A league. After that, in July 2022, he signed with Reyer Venezia. While playing for Venezia, he averaged 12.9 points and 5 rebounds in the EuroCup games. He also averaged 9.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in the Italian league.
Playing in Spain: Club Joventut Badalona (2021–2022)
Between his two Italian teams, Derek played for Club Joventut Badalona in Spain. He signed with them in July 2021 and played in the Liga ACB league.
Playing in Turkey: Anadolu Efes (2023–2025)
In June 2023, Derek signed a two-year contract with Anadolu Efes, a very strong team in Turkey. He played there until 2025.
Current Team: Paris Basketball (2025–present)
As of July 2025, Derek Willis is playing for Paris Basketball in France. He signed with them on July 4, 2025.
International Games
Derek has also played for the United States on the international stage. He was part of the US team that competed in the 2012 Albert Schweitzer Tournament. In February 2018, he was chosen to join the USA squad for the 2019 World Cup qualifiers.
Images for kids
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Derek Willis playing for Anadolu Efes.
See also
In Spanish: Derek Willis para niños
