Date: 04/03/1997
Height: 196cm
Position: Guard/Forward
Born in Arizona, Matisse Thybulle relocated to Sydney as an infant and lived in Australia for about seven years before moving to the suburbs of Seattle.
After strong performances for high school team Eastside Catholic, Thybulle entered into a collegiate career with the University of Washington, where he played for four years.
In his junior season, Thybulle was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first at his college to do so. In this season, the now 24-year-old set a Huskies season-record with 101 steals and recorded a team-best 49 blocks.
In his final season in Washington, Thybulle was crowned the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and the Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year award, as well as retaining his title as Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year en route to becoming first team All-Pac-12.
After a standout senior campaign, Thybulle elected for the 2019 NBA Draft, and was selected with the 20th pick of the first round by the Boston Celtics before being immediately traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Thybulle made his debut for the 76ers in October 2019, and quickly became widely regarded for his defensive prowess.
In the 2020/21 season, Thybulle was named to the NBA’s All Defensive Second Team, as one of the top ten defenders in the competition. In his sophomore professional year, Thybulle was the NBA leader in steals per 100 possessions (3.8), as well as deflections per 36 minutes (5.6).
Matisse makes his Olympic debut in Tokyo.
In the spirit of reconciliation Basketball Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.