Watch: Matas Buzelis gets emotional as he dons Bulls snapback and hugs Adam Silver after getting drafted by Chicago
It was an emotional moment for Matas Buzelis as the G League Ignite star was drafted by his hometown team Chicago Bulls as the 11th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday. The Windy City native could be seen with moist eyes as he donned his Bulls snapback. He went up on stage to hug NBA commissioner Adam Silver following his announcement as the franchise's 11th selection.
Cheers erupted for Buzelis as Alan Parson's iconic Sirius theme played at the Barclays Center.
With that, Buzelis is now the latest addition to a team that recently made headlines in a shock trade sending Alex Caruso to the OKC Thunder in exchange for Josh Giddey. He was the cynosure of all eyes as scouts had their attention on the 19-year-old. He had asserted his dominance during his high school run and earned a No. 5 ranking in the 2023 class. Leading up to the 2024 Draft, Matas Buzelis briefly took the spotlight as a potential No. 1 pick.
"This is what I wanted, I wanted to be here": Matas Buzelis speaks after being drafted by the Chicago Bulls
According to sources leading up to the Draft, the Bulls liked Ron Hollan (he was eventually drafted by the Detroit Pistons) as the fifth overall pick), but Matas Buzelis was expected to be gone as the 11th selection. Now, all signs point to a young roster taking the floor for the Bulls next season amid the DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine trade buzz.
Speaking to ESPN after his selection, Buzelis was still processing the sequence of events and was thankful to the Bulls front office for their faith.
"I'm blessed. This is what I wanted, I wanted to be here. Thank you to the Bulls organization. I am ready to work man, I was born for this. I thanked everybody who doubted me because I wouldn't be here without y'all. And everybody who supported me, I can't thank you enough."
Earlier in an interview with NBC Sports in March, Matas Buzelis had expressed his desire to play for the Bulls.
“I'd feel good about it. Hometown hero! It'd be fun to play for Chicago. Just watching them when I was younger, watching Derrick Rose play. It'd be a dope experience. ... We would go to games often when the Grizzlies would play them because one of my Dad's clients, who he works with, plays for the Grizzlies."
Now, he will be suiting up with a young squad led by Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Dalen Terry, and Julian Phillips.