.jpg) Mathurin withArizona in 2021 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 00 – Indiana Pacers | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard /small forward | ||||||||||||||
| League | NBA | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (2002-06-19)June 19, 2002 (age 23) Montreal, Quebec, Canada | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| College | Arizona (2020–2022) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2022: 1st round, 6th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Indiana Pacers | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2022–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2022–present | Indiana Pacers | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
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Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Bennedict Richard Felder Mathurin (/ˈmæθərɪn/MATH-ər-in,[1]French:[matyʁɛ̃];[2] born June 19, 2002) is a Canadian professionalbasketball player for theIndiana Pacers of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He playedcollege basketball for theArizona Wildcats, where he was named a consensus second-teamAll-American andPac-12 Player of the Year after his sophomore season. Mathurin was selected sixth overall by the Pacers in the2022 NBA draft. He was voted to theNBA All-Rookie First Team in2023 and finished fourth in voting for the 2023NBA Rookie of the Year award.[3]
Mathurin was born and raised inMontreal,Quebec.[4] He grew up playingice hockey andCanadian football as aquarterback.[5] He competed for the Quebec provincial basketball team.[6] In 2018, Mathurin joined theNBA Academy Latin America inMexico City, becoming its first Canadian-born player.[7] He committed to playing college basketball forArizona, choosing the Wildcats overBaylor.[8] He was considered the best Canadian prospect in his class by North Pole Hoops.[9]
On January 2, 2021, Mathurin posted 24 points and 11 rebounds in an 86–82 win overWashington State.[10] On January 14, he recorded 31 points and eight rebounds in a 98–64 win overOregon State.[11] Mathurin averaged 10.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, shooting 41.8 percent from three-point range. Despite gaining interest as a draft prospect, he decided to return for his sophomore season.[12] On December 11, 2021, Mathurin scored 30 points in a 83–79 win againstIllinois.[13] Mathurin won the 2022Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player after leading the Wildcats to their eighth conference tournament title. He was namedPac-12 Player of the Year, the ninth player in Arizona Wildcats history to do so.[14] Following his Sophomore season, Mathurin was voted a consensus second-teamAll-American, the fifth in Wildcat to make second team and thirtieth All-American in school history.[15] By winning conference player of the year he became the 31st Arizona Wildcat men's basketball player to have his name put into the school's Ring of Honor.[16]
On April 14, 2022, Mathurin declared for the2022 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[17][18]
Mathurin was selected with the 6th overall pick by theIndiana Pacers in the2022 NBA draft. He is the first ever player fromMontreal to be selected as a lottery pick. He joined the seventh overall pick,Shaedon Sharpe, as the only Canadians drafted in the first round that year. Mathurin was the Pacers' highest pick the franchise has owned since selectingRik Smits second overall in the1988 NBA draft.[19] On July 3, 2022, Mathurin signed his rookie contract with the Pacers.[20] On July 8, he made hisNBA Summer League debut, recording 23 points and four rebounds in a 96–84 win over theCharlotte Hornets.[21] Ten days later, Mathurin was named to the All–NBA Summer League Second Team, averaging 19.3 points, 4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.[22]
On October 19, Mathurin made his regular season debut coming off the bench, recording 19 points in a 114–107 loss to theWashington Wizards.[23] He would follow that performance by scoring 26 points againstJeremy Sochan and theSan Antonio Spurs on October 21,[24] and 27 points againstJaden Ivey and theDetroit Pistons on October 22.[25] His 72 points through the first three games of the season was the most by a rookie sinceJerry Stackhouse scored 76 to start off the1995–96 NBA season.[26] On October 26, he became the first Pacer to score 100–plus points through their first five career games.[27] On October 29, Mathurin set a career high with 32 points on 6–of–9 three-point shooting and five rebounds in a 125–116 win over theBrooklyn Nets.[28] On November 9, Mathurin recorded 30 points on 10–of–17 shooting from the field and 6–of–9 shooting from three in a loss to theDenver Nuggets.[29] On December 1, Mathurin was namedEastern ConferenceRookie of the Month, averaging 19.2 points, 4 rebounds, on 40.3% three-point shooting.[30]
On January 31, 2023, Mathurin was named a 2023NBA Rising Star alongside standout rookie teammateAndrew Nembhard.[31] On February 13, after scoring 21 points against theUtah Jazz, Mathurin became the fastest Pacer rookie sinceChuck Person in the1986–87 season to reach 1,000 career points.[32] With the Pacers dropping out ofplayoff contention, Mathurin became a starter over the last 10 games of his rookie season.[33][34] On March 28, as a starter against theMilwaukee Bucks, Mathurin recorded 29 points and a career-high 9 rebounds, while passing teammateChris Duarte for most three-pointers made as a rookie in Pacers franchise history.[35][36] At the2022–23 season's end, he finished fourth in the 2023NBA Rookie of the Year Award voting[37] and earnedNBA All–Rookie First Team honors.[38]
On November 8, 2023, Mathurin recorded 22 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, along with 4 threes made in a win against theUtah Jazz. On November 9, the next day, he scored 26 points to go along with a 11 rebounds, a steal, and a block in a win against theMilwaukee Bucks.
On February 17, 2024, Mathurin was named MVP of the2024NBA Rising Stars Challenge (as part ofNBA All–Star Weekend), which was played inIndianapolis atGainbridge Fieldhouse. He notably scored 22 total points in the Rising Stars tournament and helped lead TeamJalen to a Rising Stars championship.[39] On March 9, Mathurin was diagnosed with a torn labrum in his right shoulder, an injury which required surgery. He missed the remainder of the2023–24 season.[40] Despite Mathurin's injury the Pacers made it to theEastern Conference Finals.
On November 10, 2024, Mathurin put up a career-high 38 points with 7-of-8 three-pointers made in a 132–121 win over theNew York Knicks. He andTyrese Haliburton became the second duo to each score at least 35 points in a game in Pacers franchise history,[41] afterJalen Rose andReggie Miller during the2000 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals against thePhiladelphia 76ers.[42]
On March 20, 2025, Mathurin scored 28 points and collected a career-high 16 rebounds in an overtime win over theBrooklyn Nets. On May 29, he recorded 23 points and 9 rebounds, both team-highs, on 6-10 shooting and 9-9 free throws, in a game-five loss to theNew York Knicks in theEastern Conference Finals. The Pacers eventually won the series, advancing to the2025 NBA Finals. On June 11, Mathurin scored a playoff career-high 27 points in only 22 minutes off the bench in a 116–107 Game 3 win over theOklahoma City Thunder to help the Pacers take a 2–1 series lead.[43]
Mathurin played forCanada at the2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup inRiga andDaugavpils, Latvia after being cut from theOlympic team.[44] On July 4, 2021, he scored a team-high 30 points, shooting 11–of–15 from the field and 6–of–9 from three-point range, in a 100–75 group-stage win overJapan.[45] One week later, Mathurin scored 31 points to lead Canada to a 101–92 victory overSerbia in the third–place game and win the bronze medal.[46] He averaged 16.1 points and four rebounds per game in the tournament.[47]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Indiana | 78 | 17 | 28.5 | .434 | .323 | .828 | 4.1 | 1.5 | .6 | .2 | 16.7 |
| 2023–24 | Indiana | 59 | 19 | 26.1 | .446 | .374 | .821 | 4.0 | 2.0 | .6 | .2 | 14.5 |
| 2024–25 | Indiana | 72 | 49 | 29.8 | .458 | .340 | .831 | 5.3 | 1.9 | .7 | .3 | 16.1 |
| Career | 209 | 85 | 28.3 | .446 | .342 | .828 | 4.5 | 1.8 | .6 | .2 | 15.9 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Indiana | 22 | 0 | 17.5 | .459 | .300 | .864 | 3.3 | .9 | .4 | .3 | 11.0 |
| Career | 22 | 0 | 17.5 | .459 | .300 | .864 | 3.3 | .9 | .4 | .3 | 11.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Arizona | 26 | 12 | 25.0 | .471 | .418 | .846 | 4.8 | 1.2 | .7 | .1 | 10.8 |
| 2021–22 | Arizona | 37 | 37 | 32.5 | .450 | .369 | .764 | 5.6 | 2.5 | 1.0 | .3 | 17.7 |
| Career | 63 | 49 | 29.4 | .456 | .383 | .789 | 5.3 | 2.0 | .9 | .2 | 14.8 | |
Mathurin is of Haitian descent.[48] His older sister, Jennifer, played college basketball forNC State.[7] When Mathurin was 12 years old, his 15–year–old brother died in a bicycle accident. He speaks English, French, Spanish, andHaitian Creole.[5]
