Matisse Thybulle facts for kids
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Thybulle with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019
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| No. 4 – Portland Trail Blazers | ||||||||||||||
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| Shooting guard / small forward | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
| Born | March 4, 1997 Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. |
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| Nationality | Australian / American | |||||||||||||
| High school | Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Washington) | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 201 lb (91 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Washington (2015–2019) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2019 / Round: 1 / Pick: 20th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Boston Celtics | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2019–present | |||||||||||||
| League | NBA | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–2023 | Philadelphia 76ers | |||||||||||||
| 2023–present | Portland Trail Blazers | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Matisse Vincent Thybulle (born March 4, 1997) is a professional basketball player. He plays for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Thybulle is known for his amazing defense. He was picked in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft. The Boston Celtics drafted him, but he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers the next day.
While playing for the 76ers, Thybulle was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team twice. This happened in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, he joined the Trail Blazers.
Before the NBA, Thybulle played college basketball for the Washington Huskies. In 2019, he was named the best defender in college basketball. He won the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and the Lefty Driesell Award. He also earned top honors in the Pac-12. He was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year twice.
Matisse Thybulle is a citizen of both America and Australia. He lived in Sydney, Australia, for seven years as a child. He played for the Australian national team at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
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Early Life
Matisse Thybulle was born in Scottsdale, Arizona. His father, Greg, was an engineer from Haiti. His mother, Dr. Elizabeth Thybulle, was a naturopath. She passed away in 2015. Matisse was named after the famous French artist Henri Matisse.
In 1998, his family moved to Sydney, Australia. They lived there for seven years. While in Australia, Matisse focused more on swimming than basketball. He said lifeguards were "a really big deal" there. In 2005, his family moved back to the U.S. They settled in Sammamish, Washington, near Seattle.
Thybulle found it hard to make layups until he was about eight years old. This is when his body coordination improved. He went to Skyline High School for two years. Then, he moved to Eastside Catholic. He graduated in 2015.
College Basketball
Thybulle chose to go to the University of Washington in Seattle. He liked the coach, Lorenzo Romar. As a freshman in 2015–16, he started every game. He averaged 6.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
In his second year (2016–17), he averaged 10.5 points and 2.1 steals. However, the team did not win many games. Coach Romar was then fired.
Thybulle thought about leaving the team. But he decided to stay after meeting the new coach, Mike Hopkins. Coach Hopkins convinced him to stay. He planned to use a special 2–3 zone defense that Thybulle was good at.
On February 17, Thybulle scored a career-high 26 points. This was in a big win against Colorado. He has a long wingspan of 7 feet (2.1 meters). This helped him greatly in the team's zone defense. His defense helped the Huskies win 20 games for the first time since 2011–12.
He was named the Pac-12 Conference Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year. He was the first player from his school to get this award. Thybulle averaged 11.2 points per game. He also set a school record with 101 steals. He led Washington with 49 blocks. He was only the second player in Pac-12 history to have at least 90 steals and 40 blocks in one season.
In 2018–19, Thybulle had 17 points, six steals, and five blocks in a win against Colorado. This win helped the Huskies win a share of the Pac-12 regular season title. He won the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and Lefty Driesell Award. These awards recognize the best defensive player in the country.
He was also named first-team All-Pac-12. He was the second player in conference history to win Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year twice. He led all NCAA Division I players with 126 steals. This broke the Pac-12 single-season record. Thybulle also had 83 blocks. He was the only player in 20 years to have at least 100 steals and 80 blocks.
Thybulle passed Gary Payton to become the Pac-12 leader in career steals with 331. He was the first player in Pac-12 history with two seasons of 100 or more steals. He also tied Washington's career blocks record of 186. He is the only Huskies player in the top 10 for both career steals and blocks.
Professional Career
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers wanted Thybulle before the 2019 NBA draft. They wanted a player who could help them win a championship right away. The 76ers promised to pick him in the first round. They traded with the Boston Celtics to get the 20th pick and draft him.
On July 3, 2019, Thybulle signed with the 76ers. He played his first NBA game on October 23. He scored three points and had two steals and two blocks. On December 8, he scored 20 points and made five three-pointers. He also had three steals in a win against the Raptors. He was only the second 76ers rookie to do this since 1983.
In his second season (2020–21), Thybulle was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. He led the NBA in steals per possession. He also led in deflections (when a player touches the ball on defense). In October 2021, the 76ers extended his contract through the 2022–23 season.
Portland Trail Blazers
On February 9, 2023, Thybulle was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. This was part of a four-team trade. He played his first game for the Trail Blazers on February 13. He scored 14 points and had six rebounds.
Playing for Australia
Thybulle is a citizen of both Australia and the United States. This means he can play for either country's national team. He is proud of his Australian background.
On February 3, 2021, Thybulle was chosen for the Australian Boomers squad. This team played in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Olympics were delayed until 2021. Thybulle helped Australia win their first-ever Olympic medal in men's basketball. They won the bronze medal game against Slovenia.
See also
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season steals leaders
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career steals leaders
