Chicago Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis will show his leaping expertise at NBA All-Star Weekend, as he has dedicated to taking part within the Slam Dunk Contest, in keeping with Shams Charania of ESPN.
The 20-year-old Buzelis would be the first Lithuanian participant to compete within the occasion. The competitors will characteristic two first-year gamers: Buzelis and San Antonio Spurs rookie Stephon Citadel.
Matas Buzelis committing to this 12 months’s Slam Dunk Contest
This marks the second consecutive 12 months that includes a number of rookies within the contest, after Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. and New York’s Jacob Toppin took half in 2024.
Buzelis, chosen eleventh total within the 2024 NBA Draft by the Bulls, has had restricted enjoying time in his rookie season, averaging underneath 13 minutes per sport. Regardless of this, he’s conversant in the All-Star stage, having performed within the 2024 Rising Stars sport as a member of a staff made up of G League standouts.
The Bulls rookie averages 4.9 factors, 2.6 rebounds, 0.4 assists, and 0.8 blocks whereas taking pictures 38.3% from the sector. Buzelis will develop into the primary Bulls participant to take part within the Dunk Contest since Tyrus Thomas in 2007.
Matas Buzelis, born and raised in Illinois, comes from a household deeply rooted in sports activities. His dad and mom, each skilled basketball gamers, immigrated to america and settled within the Chicago space. His household’s sporting custom extends to each grandfathers, and one grandmother excelled in handball. Buzelis has pledged to symbolize Lithuania by becoming a member of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation (LKF) and is anticipated to make his debut with the senior nationwide staff quickly.
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Stephon Citadel, one other rookie additionally becoming a member of the Dunk Contest
Citadel, the primary participant confirmed for the 2025 Dunk Contest, will make historical past as the primary San Antonio Spurs participant to compete within the occasion since Greg “Cadillac” Anderson in 1988.
Stephon Citadel, the No. 4 total choose within the 2024 NBA Draft, has already delivered a sequence of highlight-reel dunks. Notably, he posterized two-time All-Defensive middle Brook Lopez in the course of the Spurs’ Jan. 8 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Moreover, Citadel has wowed with spectacular alley-oops, a windmill dunk, and a number of other thrilling finishes in site visitors.
The Spurs rookie has made a robust begin to his rookie season. By 40 video games, he averages 11.6 factors, 2.5 rebounds, and three.6 assists per sport. He ranks fourth in scoring and third in assists amongst rookies, and his efficiency has stored the Spurs in playoff competition. The staff hasn’t reached the postseason since 2019.
An NBA participant has not gained the Dunk Contest since 2022, with G League standout Mac McClung taking residence back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024.
The NBA’s 2025 All-Star Weekend is scheduled for February 14-16 in San Francisco. All-Star Saturday Night time and the Slam Dunk Contest will happen on February 15 on the residence of the Golden State Warriors, Chase Middle.