Hours before stepping onto the freshly minted, star-bordered hardwood in Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indiana Pacers second-year guard Bennedict Mathurin laid out his bold prediction for the 2024 Panini Rising Stars event.
Not only did the second-year guard exclaim his team would win it all, Mathurin envisioned holding the MVP trophy at center court by the night’s end.
"I told my team I'm trying to win, especially in Indy," Mathurin said Friday morning. "I didn't tell them I'm trying to get MVP, (but) yeah, I'm trying to get it."
Mathurin called his shot and made it, leading Team Jalen to a Rising Stars championship while becoming the first Pacer to receive the game’s MVP award. Pacers fans called it, too, as MVP chants reverberated inside the Fieldhouse while Mathurin was on the floor.
After posting a 40-35 win in the first game against Team Tamika, where Mathurin scored 18 of the team’s final 27 points, he posted four points and two assists in a 26-13 championship win over Team Detlef. The unanimous MVP finished with 22 points, two rebounds and two assists between the two games.
Before Mathurin was handed the glass basketball-shaped award at center court, his coach for the night, former Pacer Jalen Rose, gave him high praise.
“(Mathurin) wanted to be special,” Rose told the crowd.
Mathurin, who was drafted by the Pacers with the No. 6 overall pick from the University of Arizona in 2023, will finish his Rising Stars career a perfect 2-0 after also winning the event during his rookie season.
In his sophomore season, Mathurin has continued to grow his game on all sides, averaging 14.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists across just over 25 minutes per game.
Each game in Panini Rising Stars was played to a Final Target Score, with the semifinals being played to 40 points and the finals to 25.
Former Pacers led both of Indiana’s players competing in the 2024 event as Rose – who helped the Blue & Gold to a finals appearance in 2000 and was named Most Improved Player that season – coached Mathurin’s squad, and three-time Pacers All-Star and two-time Sixth Man of the Year Detlef Schrempf led Indiana Mad Ants star Oscar Tshiebwe’s G-League team. Also coaching Rising Stars teams this year were Indiana Fever 2012 WNBA champion, former MVP and 10-time All-Star Tamika Catchings, as well as Hall-of-Famer Pau Gasol, who was a two-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers.
After receiving rousing applause from the home crowd during introductions for the first game, Mathurin went straight to work.
In game one, Mathurin scored 18 of Team Jalen’s final 27 points – including a fadeaway game-winner from 14 feet – in a 40-35 win. Mathurin was the only player on Team Jalen to score in double figures, and Paolo Banchero led Team Tamika with 10 points in the first semifinal game.
“I might have just seen a couple shots go in, and I was like it's a wrap,” Mathurin said of the hot start. “If I'm being totally honest, it's also my city. I have to make sure I bring it home. So that was the main thing for me.”
Bennedict Mathurin Rising Stars Postgame Media Availability
The second game saw Team Detlef pull off a 41-36 upset victory over Team Pau, which featured San Antonio Spurs 2023 No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama.
In game two, the G Leaguers jumped to a 15-8 lead after a thunderous one-handed dunk from Tshiebwe before extending the advantage by double digits. While Team Pau was able to pull within range at 39-36, a turnaround fadeaway jump shot by G League Ignite’s Matas Buzelis sealed it.
Tshiebwe posted two points and eight rebounds in the game while 2023 NBA Dunk Champion Mac McLung led all scorers with 12 points. Wembamyama, who was guarded by Tshiebwe a lot of the game, scored 11 and had seven rebounds for Team Pau.
In the finals, Team Jalen jumped to a 12-6 lead, which was highlighted by a spinning, behind-the-head assist by Mathurin. While Team Detlef narrowed the deficit to three points, Team Jalen closed the game on a 10-0 run, which included a game-winning 3-pointer by Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams.
Tshiebwe, who is averaging 12.2 points per game and 12.6 rebounds per game for the Mad Ants this season, finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and two assists across two games.
Tshiebwe said he was grateful for the opportunity and thought Mathurin should've won the MVP award.
“We had a lot of fun at the end,” Tshiebwe said. “My guys were trying hard, but those guys were just hitting everything and finishing strong.”
Mathurin can add another trophy to his case on Saturday night in Indianapolis, as he will compete with teammates Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner in the Skills Challenge at Lucas Oil Stadium.