The Bulls' third-year forward recalled a heated exchange with the Lakers superstar and what he plans to do next time.
The Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers have a rivalry dating back to the early 1990s when Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen faced off with Magic Johnson and James Worthy in the 1991 NBA Finals, won by the Bulls.
The Bulls haven't sniffed the Finals since 2011, when Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah donned black-and-red jerseys, but are hoping to make it back with young stars Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson.
On Wednesday, the Bulls' rising star Buzelis joined the 'Cousins with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady' podcast to discuss a tense encounter with current Lakers superstar Luka Doncic that led to expletive-laced trash talk and a back-and-forth scoring battle.
Buzelis had a message for the Lakers star for the next time they meet up on the court, piquing the interest of the former NBA superstars Carter and McGrady.
Mar 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic(77) shoots against Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis(14) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Buzelis: A "Great Story"
Buzelis recalled a memorable matchup with Doncic during which both players went back-and-forth in a scoring battle for the ages.
"This is actually a great story, I'm not gonna lie you guys are gonna like this one," Buzelis said on the 'Cousins' podcast.
"We're in Chicago, that's like nothing, that's all day, you guys talk (expletive), but that's just like how I was raised up to play basketball," Buzelis said, setting the scene.
"He (Doncic)...He wasn't really on anything that game, like, at first. I don't really want to get into detail because it was some really like, nasty things said.
"But he just started, he started baking me, bro, like 12 in a row bad.
"I'm like, I don't care, keep doing that, I don't care what you doin', keep scoring, we'll see if you can keep scoring," Buzelis said.
Buzelis kept battling and used the trash talking encounters to stoke his competitive fire.
Halftime Intermission
Buzelis was proud of his performance, saying he had 20 points at halftime compared to 22 for Doncic.
"I'm like, I'm chillin'," Buzelis continued.
"I'm right back at you, my boy," Carter interjected.
Buzelis continued telling the story.
"So, I end with like 23, he ends with like 50, and it's just, bro, he hit this one shot bro, and I'm not even trying to glaze or anything but he shot it, he was iso-ing and he does that step-back in mid-air and he points directly down at me, mid-shot, and I'm in the corner and he like, turns around, mid-shot, and it's like, straight-back rim," Buzelis said.
"I'm like, that's not good, they beat us by like 20."
Buzelis' Message to Doncic for Next Matchup
Buzelis said he had two different stories after the game, one for the media and one that constituted his real thoughts on the situation.
"In the media I was sayin', I'm probably not gonna trash talk again to him, but I really don't care, like, I'm gonna do it again," Buzelis said, admitting his real preference.
"No, no, no, you can trash talk, you just gotta be able to back it up, you can trash talk, just know what tree you barkin' up," McGrady said.
"It was tough, whenever you talk to him, like he starts really turnin' it up for real, so, I wasn't gonna do it again, but I'm definitely gonna do it again, I was givin' the political answer, but, I don't really care, I need my get-back so, I'll see him this year,"Buzelis replied.
"We'll be watchin'," Carter said.
Buzelis added that Doncic was looking at the stat sheet and said his first name as if he didn't know who he was at the time.
"I was like alright bro, I have mad respect for him, he's a great player, but on the court, I don't, like, I don't really care who I'm playing against," Buzelis said of Doncic.
