Matisse Thybulle
Position: SF
Country: United States (Haitian Father)
School: Washington
Pick: Selected 20th by the Boston Celtics (Traded to the Philadelphia 76ers)
Bio: Perhaps the biggest feel-good story from Thursday night, many learned about Thybulle’s worldwide journey filled with tragedy and triumph that led him to the draft.
Thybulle was born in Arizona to a Haitian father who currently works as a computer systems crisis manager for HP and an American mother who was a doctor. The family moved to Australia when Thybulle was two years old. He would grow up in Sydney, where his family lived for seven years before moving back to the States and settling in Seattle.
“I remember the beaches by our house,” Thybulle told the Seattle Times. “I remember I thought it was so weird when we came to the U.S. because the Santa Claus in Australia wore a speedo and rode a surfboard. And when I came here, he was all dressed up in cold weather. The seasons are opposite so our Christmas was basically in the summer.”
Thybulle would begin to make his mark as a ballplayer in Seattle—a city that is becoming increasingly known for its impressive lineage of hoopers. He was ranked as the number one small forward in the state as a high school senior and signed to play ball at Washington.
But during his senior year, his mother passed away after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.
Thybulle’s father became his biggest cheerleader during his stellar career at Washington—where he was nicknamed “The Disrupter” for his elite-level defense. His father says attending Thybulle’s games is a way to remain close to his late wife.
“After the passing of Elizabeth, this is one thing I have to hold on to her,” Greg Thybulle told the Seattle Times. “It brought a certain light to my heart. Every time I’m at games, I think of her and I say a little prayer to her. I say girl, you know what you’ve got to do. You’ve got to sit on that boy’s shoulders and you’ve got to guide him. That’s all I ask of you. That’s your duty today.”
After being selected with the 20th overall pick, Thybulle’s touching tribute to his mother was one of the highlights of Thursday night’s event.
Matisse Thybulle on how his late mother inspired him
(via @espn)pic.twitter.com/WMzcAw0qmC
— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) June 21, 2019
