Watch: Rising Stars MVP Bennedict Mathurin trolls Pacers teammate Tyrese Haliburton
Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin put on a show for the hometown fans to get the 2024 NBA All-Star weekend underway.
The second-year guard playing for Team Jalen was named MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge, scoring 18 of his team's 40 points in a semifinal victory over Team Detlef. Mathurin hit the game-winner in that matchup and was as close to a walking highlight on Friday night as possible.
While Mathurin was electric as a scorer, he also offered his best impression of Pacers teammate Tyrese Haliburton, dishing out a fancy 360 no-look assist. After the game, he showed love to Haliburton, one of Mathurin's biggest cheerleaders throughout the game, in the form of some light-hearted trolling.
Mathurin was asked about the impressive pass and told that Haliburton had joked that he "doesn't really pass the ball," to which the 21-year-old offered a perfect response.
"I think I'm a better passer than Ty; he's just hating," Mathurin joked.
The Pacers guard clarified that he was joking and doesn't actually believe he's a superior passer to the NBA's statistical leader, who averages 11.7 per game.
While Mathurin's comments grabbed some attention, his play and the show he put on for fans during the Rising Stars Challenge spoke for itself.
Mathurin averaged 16.7 points as a rookie and has tallied 14.1 points per game this season while improving his shooting percentages, knocking down 45% from the field and 36.6% from beyond the arc.
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