NBA ALL-STAR RISING STARS POSTGAME

February 16, 2024

Bennedict Mathurin

Team Jalen

Press Conference

Team Jalen 26, Team Detlef 13

Q. Ben, how much did you leave with today?

BENNEDICT MATHURIN: Leave with? Money? A lot.

Q. How much did you lose today?

BENNEDICT MATHURIN: A lot.

Q. Obviously to come out here in a city that you love to call home now, what does it mean in terms of winning MVP on this stage?

BENNEDICT MATHURIN: It's great. It's great for us, the Pacers. I feel like it's also great for the kids who are watching me, seeing me as an idol. Pretty much grateful for that.

Q. Obviously this is your second year participating in this event. You were able to not only get the win again this year, but you were also able to get MVP. What's been different for you this time around being in your hometown city and being able to participate again?

BENNEDICT MATHURIN: That's a great question. I feel like the main thing for me was just to enjoy the time this weekend, seeing family, friends from home, traveling all the way just to see me and having a good time. I feel like it definitely is a great thing.

Q. Ben, what did it mean to you to not only have the support of your home crowd, but to have your teammates Ty and Myles and Obi and Isaiah cheering you on courtside?

BENNEDICT MATHURIN: It's great. It shows a lot, having my teammates, like you said, having Tyrese as an All-Star starter, definitely is a great thing.

But I was pretty pumped to see them. Seeing how much they support me and seeing how much they love me.

Q. First off, Ben, what kind of clicked for you, especially in that first game? When did you kind of see the opportunities basically? And how much did you want to get at least one of those dunks down?

BENNEDICT MATHURIN: I might have just seen a couple shots go in, and I was like it's a wrap. 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.

Q. Just kind of walk us through that little conversation you had with Jaden Ivey tonight. And I think you said you should have been picked [ahead of him in the 2022 NBA Draft]. What was that all about?

BENNEDICT MATHURIN: Just having normal conversation. Competing, talking crap, just having fun.

Q. What was the feeling like to get those "MVP" chants?

BENNEDICT MATHURIN: It was fun. It was fun to see, to receive those chants. The Rising Stars Game, I feel like I haven't really gotten that feeling in the NBA. One day I want to be MVP, so it was great to have that feeling pretty early in my career.

Q. Coming into the All-Star Weekend, you battled injury and illness. What did you do the last couple days to get yourself healthy and ready to perform?

BENNEDICT MATHURIN: I had some soup joumou, a Haitian dish. I had a lot of -- I don't even know, soup. I had a little bit of Skittles, but that was it.

Q. But when you got out there tonight, you were ready to go?

BENNEDICT MATHURIN: Sure, if I play, I'm all in. If I sit out, come back next game.