NBA-bound Matas Buzelis, 18, skips college for G League, could make over $1M ahead of 2024 Draft

Matas Buzelis, an 18-year-old high school basketball prodigy from Chicago, has decided to skip college to play for G League Ignite, a minor league club operated by the NBA to prepare prospects for the draft. 

Contract details have not been released, but NBA prospects can sign with G League Ignite for significant sums. Four-star recruit London Johnson inked deal that with the club in October that will reportedly pay him more than $1 million. Spokespeople for Buzelis’ agency did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment, while a G League spokeswoman declined to share any contract details. 

‘It’s a dream come true to join Ignite,’ Buzelis said in a G League statement. ‘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 [Nevada] and getting to work.’

Buzelis is a 6-foot-10 guard, who is prized for his size, athleticism, ball handling, and passing skills.

He’s also predicted to be taken first in the 2024 NBA Draft, ahead of other elite prospects like incoming USC guards Isaiah Collier and Bronny James, LeBron’s eldest son.

Matas Buzelis, an 18-year-old high school basketball prodigy from Chicago , has decided to skip college to play for G League Ignite , a minor league club operated by the NBA 

Bronny James, the 18-year-old son of Lakers star LeBron James , has committed to play for USC

The son of two former professional players from basketball-crazed Lithuania, Buzelis was invited to the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game in March, going 2 for 2 from the field, with three rebounds in 13 minutes.

At Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas, Buzelis was named the Gatorade Kansas Boys Basketball Player of the Year after averaging 15.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks on 53.7-percent shooting.

The team went 22-8 before reaching the GEICO National Final Four.

Buzelis also considered Florida State, Kentucky, Wake Forest and Arizona, according to 247sports.com. 

However, he had previously indicated his plans to sign with G League Ignite. 

‘I picked the G League because I’m trying to become a pro,’ Buzelis told SLAM in April. ‘That’s the end goal.’

USC previously got commitments from Isaiah Collier, considered to be the top recruit in the US

Previously, as a junior at New Hampshire’s Brewster Academy, Buzelis was named the Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year in that state. 

He not only joins Johnson with the Nevada-based Ignite, but will also play with other top recruits, such as Thierry Darlan, Dink Pate and Babacar Sane.

The team has produced a string NBA players, such as Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga, Houston’s Jalen Green, New Orleans’ Dyson Daniels and 2023 prospect, Scoot Henderson. Other, older players are also signed to team, such as Shaquille O’Neal’s 23-year-old son, Shareef. 

The 2024 draft is already headlined by Bronny James – a likely first-round pick – and Collier, who could challenge Buzelis for first overall.