Max Shulga

Shulga is a Ukrainian guard who reached the NBA through a late second-round selection in 2025 after a decorated college career that spanned Utah State and VCU. Drafted by Orlando and traded to Boston, he has spent time with the Maine Celtics in the G League while working toward consistent NBA minutes.

Born Maksym Shulga on June 25, 2002, in Kyiv, Ukraine, he moved to Spain at age 11 to study and play basketball at Colegio Leones in Leon. At age 14, he moved to Madrid to attend the Basketball School of Excellence in Torrelodones. He committed to play college basketball at Utah State in the United States.

At Utah State, Shulga was named honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference as a junior after averaging 11.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and four assists. After head coach Ryan Odom departed, Shulga entered the transfer portal and followed Odom to VCU. In his first season with the Rams, he averaged 14.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists and was named first-team All-Atlantic 10. He briefly considered transferring to Villanova but returned to VCU for his final season.

In his final year, Shulga averaged a career-high 15.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, and four assists and led VCU to both the Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament championships, winning the 2025 A-10 tournament title and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Rams won 18 of their final 20 games and earned a No. 11 seed in the NCAA tournament, where they lost to BYU in the first round.

The Orlando Magic selected Shulga with the 57th overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft and traded his rights to the Boston Celtics. He signed a two-way contract with Boston on August 7, 2025, and was assigned to the Maine Celtics. On February 4, 2026, he logged his first NBA minutes in a win over the Houston Rockets. On March 15, 2026, he signed a two-year standard contract with the Celtics.

Shulga is a steady guard with size, playmaking vision, and shooting range. He operates comfortably in pick-and-roll, makes timely cuts, and defends with discipline. His international background and college experience have prepared him for the professional level, and his development focus centers on adapting to NBA speed and physicality.