How Matisse Thybulle went from Olympic hero to Boomers castoff

It's the decision that enraged, upset, and confused a whole country of basketball fans. The question remains: how on earth did Matisse Thybulle miss out on the Boomers squad for the Paris Olympics?

It only took a year and a half for Matisse Thybulle to go from NBA role player to Australian sporting hero.

From the moment his citizenship was first reported back in January 2020, it was a whirlwind ride — a strong finish to his rookie NBA season, an All-Defensive selection a year later, a call-up for Boomers training camp, a seat on the plane to the Tokyo Olympics, a series of vlogs that made him an instant fan favourite, a standout tournament, a starring role in the biggest game in Boomers history, all capped off with a bronze medal, the team’s first silverware at a major tournament.

Long story short, Thybulle went from this:

Video: Road To Tokyo - Ep 01

To this:

theycallmetisse

A post shared by @theycallmetisse

It was a long journey for the Boomers to win that first medal, and while Thybulle wasn’t there for the whole ride, he was as grateful as anyone to have made it happen. “I'm honoured to have been considered and welcomed into this family to be a part of it,” he said following the tournament. “It's special being a part of something that people care [about].”

It was a perfect fit, and as Thybulle continued to go from strength to strength in the NBA, it seemed like the start of a long partnership. He was one of the first selected in Australia’s squad for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, one of nine NBA players in arguably the most talented group in the team’s history. Even after a tough campaign there, it was assumed that he would be a lock once again and a likely starter at this year’s Paris Olympics.

Hell, even Thybulle himself seemed to be taking that as a given, talking up the team’s chances and his own contributions without hesitation. “We can have the best defence in the Olympics,” he told ESPN early in training camp, before describing the Boomers as “just such a good environment.”

And yet, here we are. The Boomers squad is locked in and Thybulle isn’t a part of it, becoming by far the most highly credentialed player to ever miss selection. We won’t see the blur of arms and legs on defence, the thunderous dunks in transition, and worst of all, the vlogs that were already in production.

Coach Brian Goorjian knew coming into camp that the final call on selections would be “the toughest one ever”, but even he couldn’t have expected how unpopular he’d become as news of Thybulle’s omission trickled out. Social media went into meltdown, and even now, more than a week later, every comments section is ablaze with fans all asking the same question – how on earth did this happen?