By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After one year in FC Bayern Munich, Darrun Hilliard was released by the German club and became a free agent, the team announced Thursday.
Hilliard, 29, was forced to the injury list through the bottom stretch of the 2021-22 season. In his absence, the team coached by Italian Andrea Trinchieri managed to secure a place in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs and as the eighth seed went the distance versus top-seed FC Barcelona to bow out after the loss in deciding Game 5. The Villanova product averaged 13.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.2 blocks per contest before his fourth campaign in Europe’s premier club continental competition was cut short.
At the domestic level, Bayern ranked third in the easyCredit BBL Regular Season before losing to Alba Berlin in the Finals of the Playoffs. Hilliard had 10.7 points, 2.5 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.1 blocks per BBL contest. Earlier in the 2021-22 season, the Munich outlet suffered an early exit in the Quarterfinals of the BBL-Pokal.
Coming out of Villanova, the Detroit Pistons picked him up with the 38th selection of the 2015 NBA draft. Hilliard made his way to 91 appearances between the Pistons and San Antonio Spurs from 2015-16 through the 2017-18 season. After opting to move his talents to Europe, he spent the 2018-19 season at Baskonia and was a player of CSKA in 2019-20 and 2020-21. As a member of the team based in Moscow, he was crowned VTB United League champion in 2021.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net