Max Shulga scores first NBA points

BOSTON, Mass. - Max Shulga pulled double duty on Sunday, scoring first for the Maine Celtics in the NBA G League, and then scoring the first points of his NBA career with the Boston Celtics.

Shulga becomes the first player in Celtics history to score in the NBA G League and in the NBA in the same day. Shulga played 28 minutes while on assignment to the Maine Celtics in their game against the Cleveland Charge on Sunday. Shulga helped lead the Celtics to a 121-91 win with 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists. It was Shulga's second consecutive assignment to Maine after the rookie guard saw his Two-Way contract converted to a standard deal last week.

After getting the win in Portland, Shulga along with Boston Celtics teammate Amari Williams, traveled down to Boston for the Celtics' primetime matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night. Boston fell to the Timberwolves 102-92, but Shulga scored the first points of his young NBA career in the fourth quarter. Shulga replaced Jayson Tatum in the lineup with 1:45 to play in the game. With 1:22 to go, Shulga scored a layup off a Baylor Scheierman pass to make Celtics history as the first player to score in the NBA and G League in the same day. Shulga would also hit a pair of free throws and finished the day with four points and one rebound in his sixth appearance with the big club this season.

 A native of Kiev, Ukraine, Shulga was selected with the 57th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft after appearing in 162 collegiate games (109 starts) across three seasons at Utah State (2020-23) and two at VCU (2023-25). Shulga has appeared in 38 NBA G League games for Maine this season, averaging 15.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.5 steals in 33.7 minutes per game. The 23-year-old has scored in double figures in 31 games, including 10 games with 20+ points and two games with 30+ points.

Maine concludes the Regular Season with a crucial game against the Cleveland Charge on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. The Celtics will clinch a spot in the NBA G League Playoffs presented by Google with a win over the Charge. Limited tickets are still available here.