Ąžuolas Tubelis
Lithuanian basketball player (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ąžuolas Tubelis (born 22 March 2002) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats of the Pac-12 Conference. A power forward, he was named first-team All-Pac-12 twice with the Wildcats.
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EuroLeague
Tubelis with Arizona in 2021 | |
| No. 10 – Žalgiris Kaunas | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward / center |
| League | LKL EuroLeague |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 22 March 2002 Vilnius, Lithuania |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Arizona (2020–2023) |
| NBA draft | 2023: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2018–present |
| Career history | |
| 2018–2020 | Rytas Vilnius |
| 2018–2020 | →Perlas |
| 2023–2025 | Rytas Vilnius |
| 2023–2024 | →Neptūnas Klaipėda |
| 2025–present | Žalgiris Kaunas |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Youth career
In May 2018, Tubelis won the 2017–18 Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT) with the U18 team of Lietuvos rytas Vilnius.[1] On 18 October 2018, he signed a long-term contract with Rytas Vilnius.[2] In the 2018–19 season, he played for Perlas in the National Basketball League (NKL), the second-tier league of Lithuania. He averaged 9.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.[3] In February 2019, Tubelis played for Rytas' U18 team at ANGT Kaunas, where he was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 15.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, three steals and 2.8 blocks per game.[4] In June 2019, Tubelis took part in the Basketball Without Borders Europe Camp in Riga.[5]
In 2019–20, Tubelis split playing time between Perlas and Rytas' senior team, emerging as one of the top players in the NKL.[6] He debuted for the senior team in a 6 October 2019 win over Juventus Utena.[3] Tubelis scored an LKL season-high 11 points in a victory over Šiauliai on 1 February 2020.[6] At ANGT Kaunas in February 2020, he averaged 20.5 points and 12.5 rebounds, leading Rytas' U18 team to first place and earning tournament most valuable player honors.[7] Later that month, Tubelis participated in the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp at 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago.[8] In 25 NKL games, he averaged 16.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.[9]
College career
On 27 May 2020, Tubelis committed to play college basketball for Arizona. He joined the team with his twin brother, Tautvilas.[10] Tubelis was considered a four-star recruit by 247Sports.[11]
On 2 February 2023, Tubelis posted a career-high 40 points and nine rebounds in an 91–76 win over Oregon.[12] As a freshman, he averaged 12.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, and was named to the All-Pac-12 honorable mention and All-Freshman Team.[13] Tubelis was named first-team All-Pac-12 as a sophomore and a junior.[14] He declared for the NBA draft, but was not widely projected to be selected.[15] According to Seth Davis of The Athletic, there were questions on his ability to switch onto smaller players away from the basket.[16] ArizonaSports.com wrote that his slow footspeed could be a concern.[17]
Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft, Tubelis joined the Philadelphia 76ers for the NBA Summer League.[18] Afterwards, on 17 July 2023, he signed a two-way contract with the 76ers and their NBA G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.[19] However, he was waived by the 76ers on 25 October.[20]
On 8 November, he re-signed with Rytas Vilnius and then was loaned to Neptūnas Klaipėda of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL).[21] On 14 May 2024, Tubelis received the LKL Most Valuable Player Award after averaging 17.5 points, 7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks during the regular season.[22] He led Neptūnas to an eight-game winning streak which helped the team secure a playoff spot. In the 2024-2025 season, he was one of the leaders of Rytas.
On 18 July 2025, Tubelis signed three–year (2+1) contract with Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague.[23]
National team career
Tubelis played for Lithuania at the 2016 FIBA U16 European Championship in Radom, where he averaged 4.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.[24] At the 2018 FIBA U16 European Championship in Novi Sad, he averaged 14.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game.[25] Tubelis represented Lithuania at the 2019 FIBA U18 European Championship in Volos, averaging 14.9 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game.[26]
Tubelis debuted in the Lithuania men's national basketball team during the 2024 FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in San Juan, Puerto Rico and in four games averaged 4 points, 1.3 rebounds per game.[27] Later he also represented Lithuania in the EuroBasket 2025 qualification and EuroBasket 2025.[27] In 2025, Tubelis was for the first time included into the final roster of the Lithuania men's national basketball team during a major tournament – EuroBasket 2025 and by averaging 9.9 points, 7 rebounds, 1.4 assists per game he was one of the team leaders.[27][28]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
Personal life
Tubelis has a twin brother, Tautvilas, who also currently plays basketball for the Arizona Wildcats and has represented Lithuania at the international level.[10] Tubelis' first name, Ąžuolas, translates to oak in Lithuanian and was given to him by his grandfather.[29]