| Matas Buzelis | |
| Position: | Small forward |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 10 |
| Weight Lb: | 209 |
| League: | NBA |
| Team: | Chicago Bulls |
| Number: | 14 |
| Birth Date: | 13 October 2004 |
| Birth Place: | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Nationality: | Lithuanian / American |
| High School: |
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| Draft Year: | 2024 |
| Draft Round: | 1 |
| Draft Pick: | 11 |
| Draft Team: | Chicago Bulls |
| Career Start: | 2023 |
| Years1: | 2023–2024 |
| Team1: | NBA G League Ignite |
| Years2: | –present |
| Team2: | Chicago Bulls |
| Highlights: |
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Matas Arvidas Buzelis (born October 13, 2004) is a Lithuanian-American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted 11th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2024 NBA draft.
Buzelis grew up in Hinsdale, Illinois. Both of his parents played basketball professionally in Lithuania before immigrating to the United States and settling in the Chicago area.[1] In his childhood Buzelis attended gymnastics school with his brother and sister, later in the same school he attended swimming and had the best results among under–10 and under–12 breaststroke swimmers in the state of Illinois.[2]
Buzelis initially attended Hinsdale Central High School and played on their sophomore team as a freshman.[3] He transferred to Brewster Academy, a boarding school in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, 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.[4] 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.[5] He was also selected to play for Team World in the 2022 Nike Hoops Summit.[6]
Buzelis transferred to Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas before the start of his senior year.[7] 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 3-point range and 80 percent from the free throw line.[8]
Buzelis was selected to play in the 2023 McDonald's All-American Boys Game.[9] He also took part in the Basketball Without Borders camp during the 2023 NBA All-Star weekend and was named the camp's MVP.[10]
Buzelis was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class, according to major recruiting services.[11] He ultimately chose to play professionally for NBA G League Ignite.[12] [13] Buzelis had also considered playing college basketball for Kentucky, North Carolina, Florida State, and Wake Forest.[14]
On May 31, 2023, Buzelis officially signed with the NBA G League Ignite.[15] [16] During the 2023–24 NBA G League season Buzelis averaged 14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.[17]
Buzelis was selected with the eleventh overall pick by the Chicago Bulls during the 2024 NBA draft.[18] [19] 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 who decided to go with Ignite teammate Ron Holland. Other teams passed on Buzelis dropping him to his hometown Bulls.[20] [21] He signed a rookie-scale contract with the Bulls on July 2, 2024.[22]
On July 21, 2022, Buzelis committed to the Lithuania men's national basketball team for international competitions.[23] [24] Later that year the Lithuanian Basketball Federation registered Buzelis in FIBA system as a member of the Lithuanian national team.[25]
|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2023–24| style="text-align:left;"| NBA G League| 26 || 26 || 32.0 || .448 || .273 || .679 || 6.9 || 2.0 || .8 || 2.1|| 14.3|-
One of Buzelis grandfathers, Arvydas Jankauskas, is a former basketball player and coach, while his other 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 bronze medals.[2] One of Buzelis grandmothers, Elena Buzelienė, is an all-time great Lithuanian handball player who won two European Champions Cups.[2]
Buzelis's mother, Kristina Jankauskaitė, played for Lithuanian youth basketball national teams and was one of the most promising basketball players of her generation.[2] Buzelis father, Aidas Buzelis, is a former basketball player who played for multiple Lithuanian Basketball League clubs and also worked as a massage therapist of the Lithuania men's national basketball team.[2] [26]
Buzelis is fluent in Lithuanian in addition to English.[27]