Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin wanted his family to have something to cheer about after traveling to Indianapolis for the NBA’s All-Star weekend, which began on Friday.
San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama never got the chance to celebrate. Despite scoring 11 points in the second of the night’s three games, Wembanyama was eliminated in his first All-Star contest.
Instead, two second-year players — Mathurin and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams — led Team Jalen past Team Detlef 26-13 in the Rising Stars championship game. Mathurin celebrated by taking home Most Valuable Player honors.
Photo: AP
“To see my family and friends traveling all this way just to see my have a good time, I felt I needed to play well,” Mathurin said after scoring 22 points in two games. “If I’m being totally honest, it’s also my makeup to make sure I bring it home, so that was the main thing.”
Mathurin, a first-team all-rookie selection last season, stole the show as teammates Myles Turner and Tyrese Haliburton, a first-time All-Star starter, rooted for him.
The crowd even serenated briefly with chants of “M-V-P.”
Mathurin’s strong showing might not have been a surprise, but Wembanyama’s early exit was.
The 20-year-old French sensation was not pleased with the result.
“I want to win and I hate losing, but at the same time, I have so much going on and you know I’m happy that I just knocked one thing off the list this weekend,” he said. “So it’s mixed feelings.”
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