INDIANAPOLIS — Friday night, Indiana Pacers players Bennedict Mathurin and Oscar Tshiebwe participated in the Rising Stars event at 2024 NBA All-Star weekend. It was Mathurin's second consecutive year in the outing — Tshiebwe is a rookie who is involved in his first All-Star weekend.
"I'm having so much fun," Tshiebwe said on the morning of his All-Star weekend. "I'm so excited."
Not only was the Pacers duo participating in All-Star weekend, they were doing so at their home base. Indianapolis is the host city for All-Star festivities this year, and Mathurin lives just down the road from Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It was exciting for both players to represent their team in that environment.
Mathurin played for a team coached by Jalen Rose (Team Jalen) while Tshiebwe was on a squad headed by Detlef Schrempf (Team Detlef). "Indy is a great city... I know my way around. My apartment is down the street. I get to see my dog," Mathruin said of the festivities.
There were four teams in the Rising Stars event, with each one being comprised of promising first and second-year players. Mathurin's squad and Tshiebwe's group were on opposite sides of the bracket, so they didn't face off in the first round.
They were hoping to, though. Before the game, the two Pacers teammates spoke to gathered media members, and each one shared their desire to have a highlight play at the rim with their fellow Pacer involved.
"It'll be good to see him," Tshiebwe said of Mathurin after joking about dunking on the Pacers guard. "I don't know what's going through this guy's head," Mathurin responded. "I told him I would dunk on him. If I see him, I have to try it."
Mathurin played first. He started for Team Jalen alongside Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Jeremy Sochan, and Walker Kessler. Their mission was to take down Team Tamika, but they got off to an awful start as they trailed 9-0. At the time, Mathurin was 0/1 from the field.
He shared earlier in the day that he is feeling better, which is significant given that he has missed time for the Pacers with a knee injury and illnesses. He also said he hoped to win MVP in the event. Mathurin's first points of the game came to make the score 15-16 — Team Jalen was making a comeback.
"I used to dream about this moment," Mahturin said of All-Star weekend.
Mathurin hit a sweet behind the back layup to extend his team's lead near the middle of the game. He was focused on scoring, but he got going after that layup. He was up to 11 points when his team had a 30-24 edge. He received "M-V-P" chants at the foul line soon after.
Mathurin and Team Jalen won their opening game 40-35. The Pacers guard was the star of the show with 18 points and two rebounds on 7/13 shooting, including the game-winning bucket.
Next up was Tshiebwe and Team Detlef. That roster was filled heavily with G League players, so Tshiebwe and company were in for an uphill battle. They were opposite rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama.
Tshiebwe, known mostly for his rebounding, was a starter for his squad alongside Mac McClung, Matas Buzelis, Emoni Bates, and Alondes Williams. The Congolese big man received an ovation from the crowd after being introduced before the game.
"He has a lot of energy, a lot of good energy," Mathurin said of Tshiebwe pregame.
Tshiebwe said he was close to booking a vacation for his All-Star break when he found out that he would be participating in All-Star weekend, both in Rising Stars and in the G League's Next Up game.
Tshiebwe's first points came after about four minutes of play. He dunked to give his team a 15-8 lead, and he had two points and four rebounds at the time. To that point, his team looked far superior despite being the underdogs.
Tshiebwe checked back in with the score 29-28, and his team instantly went on a 5-0 run. They held on to win 41-36 — Tshiebwe finished with two points and eight rebounds.
That set up Tshiebwe vs Mathurin in the finals. They would have a chance to dunk on each other after all, and the Pacers were guaranteed to have a winner, and loser, in the title game.
Tshiebwe scored the first four points for Team Detlef while Mathurin had four of the first eight for Team Jalen. The two Pacers players were the stars of the show early, which was fitting in their home arena.
The Indiana pair continued to make highlight plays, with Mathurin's team holding the edge throughout much of the game. Since the target score was lower for this duel, the game flew by.
Mathurin's Team Jalen cruised to a 26-13 win. After their flashy starts, the Pacers' players cooled off statistically — Mathurin finished with four points and two assists while Tshiebwe had eight points and two rebounds.
"It was good. I had a good experience. The second game was tough," Tshiebwe said. He dominated on the glass.
As Tshiebwe was speaking with assembled media members, it was announced that Mathurin did accomplish his goal by winning the MVP honor. He scored 22 points in the two games and made several highlight plays.
"It's great. It's great for the Pacers," Mathurin said of the honor. He added that it was great for the kids that look up to him, too.
The second-year guard is now a back-to-back Rising Stars champion, and he had a fantastic showing in his second event. Tshiebwe was impressive, too. Overall, it was a great day for both Pacers players in their home city.
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