NEWSLETTER
Matas Buzelis is going home.
Born right outside Chicago in the suburb of Hinsdale, the G-League Ignite forward will suit up for the Chicago Bulls. The organization selected him with the No. 11 overall pick after he took a surprising tumble down the draft board. Many had previously expected him to go somewhere within the top-6, with prior reports indicating the Bulls might consider trading up to land him.
Buzelis appeared as shocked as the Bulls likely were when they called in the pick. The hometown player was clearly very emotional, as both he and his family couldn’t believe their luck.
Take a look at the moment his name was called:
Matas Buzelis is selected 11th overall by the @chicagobulls in the 2024 #NBADraft presented by State Farm!
Watch on ABC & ESPN. pic.twitter.com/6Q1MfhZ8Gz— NBA (@NBA) June 27, 2024
And here’s the moment it looked like things were really setting in …
Look what it means to Matas Buzelis to be drafted by his hometown Bulls ❤️ pic.twitter.com/j3GhyAVDHg
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 27, 2024
Buzelis walked on stage to shake hands with commissioner Adam Silver before speaking with ESPN’s Monic McNutt. Fighting back tears, he already sounded eager to lace ’em up.
“I’m blessed, man. This is what I wanted. I wanted to be here. Thank you to the Bulls’ organization. I’m ready to work, man. I was born for this,” Buzelis said.
The full interview is worth a watch below. And for more on the player the Bulls’ are getting, check out our post here.
"This is what I wanted." –@BuzelisMatas ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ED7dC7nfo0
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) June 27, 2024
