Matas Buzelis, a consensus five-star high school prospect projected by ESPN as the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, has signed with NBA G League Ignite, General Manager Anthony McClish announced today.
“It’s a dream come true to join Ignite,” Buzelis said. “I have the opportunity to develop in a professional system as I continue to strive toward my goal of playing in the NBA. I look forward to joining the team in Henderson and getting to work. I want to thank my coaches, trainers and teammates for preparing me for this opportunity. I also want to thank my family for their endless love and support throughout my journey.”
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Buzelis was named the Most Valuable Player of the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp at NBA All-Star 2023 in February and competed in the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game in March. He was also selected to the World Team for the 2022 Nike Hoop Summit. His parents both played professional basketball in their native country Lithuania.
A Chicago-area native, Buzelis played his senior high school season at Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas. He was named the 2022-23 Gatorade Kansas Boys Basketball Player of the Year after averaging 15.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks and shooting 53.7 percent from the field, including 43.1 percent from 3-point range. Buzelis led the team to a 22-8 record and to the Final Four of GEICO Nationals.
As a junior at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, Buzelis was selected as the 2021-22 Gatorade New Hampshire Boys Basketball Player of the Year and won the New England Prep School Athletic Council Class AAA Tournament championship.
Buzelis joins Thierry Darlan, London Johnson, Dink Pate and Babacar Sane on Ignite’s roster as the latest group of top national and international prospects preparing for the NBA Draft. Ignite has produced three top 10 NBA Draft picks in the previous two years – the most by any program in that span – in Jalen Green (2021, No. 2, Houston Rockets), Jonathan Kuminga (2021, No. 7, Golden State Warriors) and Dyson Daniels (2022, No. 8, New Orleans Pelicans). Ignite has had a total of six NBA Draft picks in the last two years, which matches the highest total for a program in that period.
(Release via Ignite)
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