Matas Arvidas Buzelis (born October 13, 2004) is a Lithuanian–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 the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He was drafted 11th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the

2024 NBA draft The 2024 NBA draft was the 78th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft. Unlike recent years, the 2024 draft took place over two nights. This was the first NBA draft to be held on multiple nights since the draft ...

Early life and high school career

Buzelis was born 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 ...

on October 13, 2004. Both of his parents played basketball professionally in

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

before immigrating to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and settling in the Chicago area, where Buzelis was born and raised. During his childhood, Buzelis attended

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

school with his brother and sister. Later in the same school, he attended

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

and had the best results among under-10 and under-12

breaststroke Breaststroke is a human swimming, swimming style in which the swimmer is on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to the swimmer's head being out of the water a large portion of the time, and ...

swimmers in the state of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. Buzelis initially attended

Hinsdale Central High School Hinsdale Central High School, or HCHS (locally referred to as simply "Central") is a public four-year high school located at the corner of W. 55th St. and S. Grant St. in Hinsdale, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois. It is located ...

in suburban Hinsdale and played on their sophomore team as a freshman. He transferred to

Brewster Academy Brewster Academy is a co-educational independent boarding school located on in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, United States. It occupies of shoreline along Lake Winnipesaukee. With around 350 students, it serves grades nine through twelve and po ...

, a boarding school in

Wolfeboro, New Hampshire Wolfeboro is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,416 at the 2020 census. A resort area situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee, Wolfeboro includes the village of Wolfeboro Falls. History The town was grant ...

, midway through the start of the first semester of his sophomore year after Hinsdale Central's basketball season was postponed due to concerns related to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. As a junior, Buzelis was named the New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 11.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. He was also selected to play for Team World in the 2022

Nike Hoops Summit The Nike Hoop Summit is an international basketball all-star game sponsored by 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 demonstrate their ...

. Buzelis transferred to Sunrise Christian Academy in

Bel Aire, Kansas Bel Aire is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States, and a suburb of Wichita. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,262. History Bel Aire was founded in January 1955 when a group of local residents petitioned th ...

before the start of his senior year. During his senior year, he averaged 15.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 54 percent from the field, 42.4 percent from three-point range and 80 percent from the free throw line. Buzelis was selected to play in the 2023 McDonald's All-American Boys Game. He also took part in the

Basketball Without Borders Basketball Without Borders is a basketball instructional camp organized by the NBA in conjunction with FIBA. It presents itself as a “basketball development and community outreach program that unites young basketball players to promote the sport ...

camp during the 2023 NBA All-Star weekend and was named the camp's MVP.

Recruiting

Buzelis was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class, according to major recruiting services. He ultimately chose to play professionally for

NBA G League Ignite The NBA G League Ignite was a developmental basketball team in the NBA G League. Originally based in Walnut Creek, California, with home games planned to have been played at the Ultimate Fieldhouse for their first two seasons before moving to Hende ...

. Buzelis had also considered playing

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 ...

for

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 ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

and Wake Forest.

Professional career

NBA G League Ignite (2023–2024)

On May 31, 2023, Buzelis officially signed with the

. During the

2023–24 NBA G League season The 2023–24 NBA G League season was the 23rd season of the NBA G League, the minor league basketball league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Structure The Showcase Cup started in November 2023 and concluded with a single-eliminat ...

Buzelis averaged 14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

Chicago Bulls (2024–present)

Buzelis was selected with the eleventh overall pick by the

during the

. Buzelis reportedly worked his way as a projected top 5 in the pre-draft process as teams were interested in his size and feel for the game putting him as a top 5 pick commonly to the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

who decided to go with Ignite teammate

Ron Holland Ronald John Holland (born 1947 in Auckland, New Zealand)Ron Holland:De ...

. Other teams passed on Buzelis dropping him to his hometown Bulls. He signed a rookie-scale contract with the Bulls on July 2, 2024. Buzelis made his NBA debut on October 23, 2024, in a 123–111 loss to the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

. On January 20, 2025, Buzelis committed to the

NBA Slam Dunk Contest The NBA Slam Dunk Contest (officially known as the AT&T Slam Dunk) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. The contest was conceived of and started by the American Basketball Associat ...

during the 2025 All-Star weekend, becoming the first Lithuanian player to do so. He also became the first Chicago Bulls player to participate in the contest since

Tyrus Thomas Tyrus Wayne Thomas (born August 17, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Louisiana State University (LSU) before being drafted fourth overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2006 NBA d ...

in 2007. On February 4, Buzelis scored 24 points while shooting 10-for-10 from the field in a 133–124 win over the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

. On March 22, he put up a career-high 31 points in a 146–115 victory over the

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

. On March 29, Buzelis scored 28 points, grabbed nine rebounds, dished out six assists against the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

and became the third Bulls' rookie to achieve such game statistics, the other two being

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

and

Charles Oakley Charles Oakley (born December 18, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. Oakley is best known for playing 10 of his 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association with the New York Knicks. As a power forward, he consisten ...

. On April 4, Buzelis put up his first career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds in a 118–113 win over the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

National team career

On July 21, 2022, Buzelis committed to the

Lithuania men's national basketball team The Lithuania men's national basketball team () represents Lithuania in international basketball competitions. They are controlled by the Lithuanian Basketball Federation, the governing body for basketball in Lithuania. Despite Lithuania's small ...

for international competitions. Later that year the

Lithuanian Basketball Federation The Lithuanian Basketball Federation (), also known as LKF, is a national governing body of basketball in Lithuania. It was founded in 1936, but due to Occupation of the Baltic states, Soviet occupation, the federation disappeared from FIBA. It w ...

registered Buzelis in

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...

system as a member of the Lithuanian national team.

Career statistics

NBA

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, 80 , , 31 , , 18.9 , , .454 , , .361 , , .815 , , 3.5 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .9 , , 8.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 80 , , 31 , , 18.9 , , .454 , , .361 , , .815 , , 3.5 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .9 , , 8.6

NBA G League

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2023–24 , style="text-align:left;",

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 ...

, 26 , , 26 , , 32.0 , , .448 , , .273 , , .679 , , 6.9 , , 2.0 , , .8 , , 2.1, , 14.3

Personal life

Buzelis's maternal grandfather, Arvydas Jankauskas, is a former basketball player and coach, while his paternal grandfather, Petras Buzelis, also is a former basketball player who debuted in Žalgiris Kaunas at 19 years old, later became Žalgiris Kaunas captain and won six Lithuanian League titles and three

USSR Premier Basketball League The USSR Premier Basketball League, or Soviet Union Premier Basketball League (also called Supreme League), was the first-tier men's professional basketball league in the former Soviet Union. The league existed from 1923 to 1991, as the top prof ...

bronze medals. One of Buzelis grandmothers, Elena Buzelienė, is an all-time great Lithuanian

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

player who won two European Champions Cups. Buzelis's mother, Kristina Jankauskaitė, played for Lithuanian youth basketball national teams and was one of the most promising basketball players of her generation. Buzelis father, Aidas Buzelis, is a former basketball player who played for multiple

Lithuanian Basketball League Lithuanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe ** Lithuanian language ** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region ** L ...

clubs and also worked as a

physiotherapist Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

of the

. Buzelis speaks

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe ** Lithuanian language ** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region ** L ...

in addition to English.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Buzelis, Matas 2004 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen American men's basketball players American people of Lithuanian descent Basketball players from Chicago Brewster Academy alumni Chicago Bulls draft picks Chicago Bulls players Lithuanian men's basketball players 21st-century Lithuanian sportsmen NBA G League Ignite players Power forwards Small forwards Windy City Bulls players