Matas Buzelis Bio
Matas Arvidas Buzelis (born October 13, 2004) is a Lithuanian American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A versatile forward listed at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) and 196 lb (89 kg), he plays both power forward and small forward. Selected 11th overall by the Bulls in the 2024 NBA draft, Buzelis has quickly emerged as one of the league’s most promising young players, showcasing scoring touch, athleticism, and a mature feel for the game.
Before turning pro, Buzelis starred at the high school level across three states and was recognized as a consensus five-star recruit in the 2023 class. He chose to begin his professional career with the NBA G League Ignite rather than attend college, becoming one of the most-watched prospects in recent memory. In just two seasons in the NBA, he has earned league-wide recognition, including a place on the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
Early Life and Background
Buzelis was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 13, 2004. Both of his parents played basketball professionally in Lithuania before immigrating to the United States and settling in the Chicago area, where he was born and raised. His mother, Kristina Jankauskaitė, played for Lithuanian youth basketball national teams and was once considered one of the most promising players of her generation, while his father, Aidas Buzelis, is a former Lithuanian Basketball League player who also worked as a physiotherapist for the Lithuania men’s national basketball team.
Buzelis has Lithuanian and American nationality and speaks Lithuanian in addition to English. As a child, he attended gymnastics school with his brother and sister and later trained in swimming, where he posted the best results among under-10 and under-12 breaststroke swimmers in the state of Illinois. His family is deeply rooted in Lithuanian sport: his maternal grandfather, Arvydas Jankauskas, is a former basketball player and coach, and his paternal grandfather, Petras Buzelis, debuted at Žalgiris Kaunas at age 19, later captaining the club and winning six Lithuanian League titles and three USSR Premier Basketball League bronze medals. His grandmother, Elena Buzelienė, is an all-time great Lithuanian handball player who won two European Champions Cups.
Path to Basketball
Buzelis initially attended Hinsdale Central High School in suburban Hinsdale, Illinois, where he played on the sophomore team as a freshman. He transferred to Brewster Academy, a boarding school in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, midway through the first semester of his sophomore year after Hinsdale Central’s basketball season was postponed due to concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a junior at Brewster, he was named the 2022 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, and he was selected to play for Team World in the 2022 Nike Hoop Summit.
Before his senior year, Buzelis transferred to Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas, where 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. He was selected to the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game and was named MVP of the Basketball Without Borders camp during the 2023 NBA All-Star weekend. Rated a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2023 class, Buzelis chose to begin his professional career with the NBA G League Ignite over college programs such as Kentucky, North Carolina, Florida State, and Wake Forest.
Matas Buzelis Career
NBA G League Ignite (2023–2024)
On May 31, 2023, Buzelis signed with the NBA G League Ignite, joining a program designed to develop elite prospects for the professional ranks. He quickly became a centerpiece of the Ignite roster, pairing his length and perimeter skill with a willingness to defend multiple positions. During the 2023–24 NBA G League season, he averaged 14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, demonstrating an offensive polish that belied his age.
Buzelis was selected to play in the 2024 Rising Stars Challenge as part of Team Detlef, and he appeared in the NBA G League Next Up Game that same year. His play with the Ignite cemented his status as a lottery prospect, and the Chicago Bulls ultimately selected him 11th overall in the 2024 NBA draft. He signed a rookie-scale contract with the Bulls on July 2, 2024.
Chicago Bulls Era (2024–Present)
Buzelis made his NBA debut on October 23, 2024, in a 123–111 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. On January 20, 2025, he committed to the NBA Slam Dunk Contest during the 2025 All-Star weekend, becoming the first Lithuanian player to do so and the first Bulls player to participate in the contest since Tyrus Thomas in 2007. On February 4, 2025, he scored 24 points on 10-for-10 shooting from the field in a 133–124 win over the Miami Heat, and on March 22, 2025, he posted a then career-high 31 points in a 146–115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. On March 29, 2025, Buzelis produced 28 points, nine rebounds, and six assists against the Dallas Mavericks, becoming the third Bulls rookie to record such a stat line, joining Michael Jordan and Charles Oakley. He recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds in a 118–113 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on April 4, 2025. His debut season ended when the Bulls fell 109–90 to the Miami Heat in the 2025 NBA play-in tournament, and on May 20, 2025, Buzelis was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
In his second NBA season, Buzelis opened with 21 points, six rebounds, and three blocks to help the Bulls beat the Detroit Pistons 115–111. After the Bulls traded Nikola Vučević, Coby White, and Ayo Dosunmu before the trade deadline, his role expanded and he became the team’s leading scorer. On February 13, he played for Vince Carter’s team in the 2026 Rising Stars Challenge and won the tournament. He set a career high with six blocks on February 21, 2026, against the Detroit Pistons, a 126–110 loss, and followed it with a career-high 32 points on February 24, 2026, against the Charlotte Hornets, a 131–99 defeat. On March 10, 2026, Buzelis erupted for 41 points, six rebounds, two steals, two assists, and two blocks in a 130–124 win over the Golden State Warriors, becoming only the third Bulls player in history to score at least 40 points at age 21 or younger, alongside Michael Jordan and Elton Brand. The Bulls finished 12th in the Eastern Conference and did not qualify for the 2026 NBA playoffs.
Driving Style and Strengths
Buzelis combines the frame of a modern forward with guard-like skills, including fluid perimeter shooting, the ability to attack closeouts, and a growing defensive presence at the rim. He rebounds well for his position and has shown the versatility to defend on the perimeter and protect the basket, an asset reflected in his career-high six-block performance against the Pistons. His shooting efficiency, 42.4 percent from three during his senior year at Sunrise Christian Academy and 47.3 percent from the field in his first NBA season, underscores a craft well beyond his years.
Notable Events and Milestones
Buzelis’s 41-point game against the Golden State Warriors ranks among the most prolific single-game performances by a young Bull, placing him in a historical group with Michael Jordan and Elton Brand. Earlier in his career, he became the first Lithuanian to compete in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, and he joined a short list of Bulls rookies to combine scoring, rebounding, and playmaking in a single game. On the international stage, he committed to the Lithuania men’s national basketball team on July 21, 2022, and was registered in the FIBA system later that year.
Matas Buzelis Career Wins
Buzelis has not yet captured an NBA scoring title, conference crown, or league MVP award. His verified accolades are individual recognitions rather than championships, and his postseason experience is limited to the 2025 NBA play-in tournament, in which the Bulls were eliminated by the Miami Heat. The honors most associated with his early career are all-star and all-rookie selections at the high school, G League, and NBA levels.
NBA Highlights
Across his first two NBA seasons with the Chicago Bulls, Buzelis has been a Rising Stars participant in 2024, 2025, and 2026, an NBA All-Rookie Second Team honoree in 2025, and an NBA Slam Dunk Contest competitor in 2025. His breakout scoring outputs include 31 points against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 22, 2025, 32 points against the Charlotte Hornets on February 24, 2026, and 41 points against the Golden State Warriors on March 10, 2026. These performances have established him as a building block for the Bulls’ long-term plans.
Other Wins and Performances
At the pre-NBA level, Buzelis was a McDonald’s All-American in 2023, a Jordan Brand Classic participant in 2023, and a Nike Hoop Summit selection in 2022. He was named MVP of the Basketball Without Borders camp during the 2023 NBA All-Star weekend and earned New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the Year honors as a junior at Brewster Academy. With the NBA G League Ignite in 2023–24, he averaged 14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, posted a selection to the 2024 Rising Stars Challenge, and appeared in the 2024 NBA G League Next Up Game.
Matas Buzelis Family
Family Background and Basketball Lineage
Buzelis comes from one of the most accomplished basketball families connected to Lithuania. Both of his parents played the sport professionally before relocating to the United States, and his paternal grandfather, Petras Buzelis, captained Žalgiris Kaunas and won six Lithuanian League titles along with three USSR Premier Basketball League bronze medals. His maternal grandfather, Arvydas Jankauskas, is a former player and coach, and his grandmother, Elena Buzelienė, is a celebrated Lithuanian handball player with two European Champions Cup titles.
Personal Life
Buzelis holds dual Lithuanian and American nationality and grew up in the Chicago area after his parents settled there from Lithuania. He speaks both Lithuanian and English. He attended Hinsdale Central High School, Brewster Academy, and Sunrise Christian Academy as part of his high school basketball development. As of available records, he is not publicly known to be married, and details about siblings beyond his brother and sister, both of whom shared his early gymnastics training, are limited.
2025 Season Performance
Buzelis’s 2024–25 rookie season with the Chicago Bulls began on October 23, 2024, against the New Orleans Pelicans. He gradually earned a larger role as the year progressed, starting 31 games in the second half of the season and averaging 13 points on 47.3 percent shooting from the field and 4.5 rebounds per game as a starter. His calendar year 2025 highlights included 24 points on 10-for-10 shooting versus the Miami Heat on February 4, 31 points against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 22, and a 28-point, nine-rebound, six-assist line against the Dallas Mavericks on March 29, joining Michael Jordan and Charles Oakley as the only Bulls rookies to reach those numbers in a single game.
His rookie campaign concluded with a 109–90 play-in loss to the Miami Heat, after which he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team on May 20, 2025. He also became the first Lithuanian to compete in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, continuing a tradition of international flair in the league’s showcase events. While the Bulls did not advance to the playoffs, Buzelis’s individual production marked him as a foundation piece for the franchise.
Looking ahead within 2025 and into early 2026, Buzelis returned with a stronger second season, opening against the Detroit Pistons with 21 points, six rebounds, and three blocks. As the Bulls reshaped their roster around younger players, his usage climbed, setting up his career-best scoring nights and his role as the team’s primary offensive option. The outlook for the remainder of 2025 centers on continued growth as a scorer, defender, and playmaker, with the Bulls clearly committed to building around his versatile skill set.
