
USA Today via Reuters
Jan 14, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) reacts to receiving a technical foul Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, during an NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Mandatory Credit: Grace Smith/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

USA Today via Reuters
Jan 14, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin (00) reacts to receiving a technical foul Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, during an NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Mandatory Credit: Grace Smith/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
Every star’s journey has a backstory; and Bennedict Mathurin’s? It’s the kind that hits you deep. The Indiana Pacers guard didn’t just show up and start lighting up the league. His path was carved through heartbreak, hustle, and a mother’s endless love.
From Montreal’s icy streets to the roaring heat of NBA arenas, Bennedict Mathurin has carried the weight of loss; and turned it into fuel. But behind all that fire on the court? There’s a story few talk about. One of sacrifice. Of culture. And of a quiet hero named Elvie.
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Who are Bennedict Mathurin’s parents?
Bennedict Mathurin was born on June 19, 2002, in Montreal, Quebec, to Elvie Jeune and the late Felix Mathurin. His childhood wasn’t lined with luxuries; it was marked by loss and resilience.
Félix, Bennedict’s father, passed away in 2013 when the future hooper was just 11. His presence in Bennedict’s life was distant at best. There aren’t many stories. No touching quotes. Just… a name, and a silence that followed.
But then there was Elvie. A Haitian immigrant. A nurse. A single mother who held it all together when everything else fell apart. After Felix passed, she became the foundation; working long hospital shifts, braving Montreal’s brutal winters, and making sure her kids stayed out of trouble and in the gym. She didn’t just raise them. She poured every ounce of herself into them.
And it didn’t stop there. After losing her son Dominique in a tragic car accident in 2014, she still kept going; for Bennedict and his sister Jennifer. That strength? That grit? It’s baked into Bennedict’s DNA.
Who is Bennedict Mathurin’s mother, Elvie? What does she do?
Before Bennedict Mathurin became an NBA standout, he was a kid growing up in Montreal-Nord; a neighborhood filled with immigrant families, tight apartments, and constant noise. Through it all, one voice stood taller than the rest: his mother’s.
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Elvie Jeune, a Haitian immigrant and single mom, didn’t just raise three kids; she carried them. A full-time nurse working long shifts, she also played chef, tutor, motivator, and protector. There were nights she walked to work through snow, skipped meals to feed her kids, then rushed back just to make Bennedict’s games.
What makes her story even more powerful is that she did all of this while grieving. In 2014, her eldest son Dominique, died after being hit by a car while riding his bike. The weight of that loss could’ve crushed a family. But Elvie kept it together.
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“She’s everything,” Benedict has said. His confidence, his edge, his refusal to quit; all of it traces back to her. She didn’t just support his dream. She helped build it. But besides his other, he also a father, who is quite unknown.
Who is Bennedict Mathurin’s father?
Félix Mathurin passed away when Bennedict was just a kid. And truth is, their bond wasn’t strong. “I never had a relationship with him,” Mathurin once shared. There are no fuzzy childhood memories or father-son photos. Just a name… and a void.
But that’s where Elvie stepped in. She didn’t flinch. She became both mom and dad. Fierce yet nurturing, firm but full of heart. In a neighborhood like Montreal-Nord; where distractions were plenty and opportunities were rare; Elvie made sure her kids stayed grounded. Safe. Focused.
And while Félix’s story remains mostly untold, his absence played a strange role in shaping Bennedict. It carved out space for Elvie’s love to shine even brighter.
Who is Bennedict Mathurin’s late brother Dominique?
Dominique Jeune was the one who made basketball feel possible. He was older, wiser, and always watching out for Bennedict and Jennifer. On September 30, 2014, everything changed. He was just 15 when he suffered a fatal head injury after being struck by a car on his bike, and Bennedict was 12.
That day broke something in their family. But it also lit a fire in Bennedict. “It was our dream to make it to the NBA together,” he said. “Now I bring him with me wherever I go.” The reminder is permanent. Inked on his left arm: “02.12.1999, Dominique Jeune, 09.30.2014.” Inside his NBA Draft suit was a photo of himself, Dominique, and Jennifer as kids, tucked near his heart.
After Dominique’s death, Elvie and Bennedict moved in with Jennifer’s basketball coach, Michel Mettelus, in the safer suburb of Sainte-Catherine. It was there that the hooper began to grow, not just physically, but mentally. From that moment on, every layup, every sprint, every postgame quote carried a second heartbeat. Well, in the middle of all this, there is another strong lady who never gave up.
The sister who never stopped showing up
If Elvie was the rock, Jennifer Mathurin was the spark. She played Division I basketball at NC State and professionally overseas, but her biggest investment has been in her little brother. She introduced him to the game, taught him to compete, and now helps manage his career off the court. When Bennedict was drafted by the Pacers, Jennifer moved part-time to Indianapolis, leaving her job in Canada behind.
“She texts me before every game,” Bennedict said. “Just telling me to go have fun. I always read it.” She knows how heavy the spotlight can feel. So she shields him, handling agents, managing pressure, and, when needed, telling him the hard truths. Today, he might be one of the NBA’s top young scorers, but she still sees the 12-year-old who lost his brother. And she makes sure he never forgets why he plays.
Together, Jennifer and Elvie built a foundation most players don’t have. And Bennedict carries it with him every night, when he steps on the court, it’s not just for points. It’s for the people who sacrificed everything so he could dream out loud.
What Ethnicity Are Bennedict Mathurin’s Parents?
Bennedict’s roots run deep; and they matter.
His mother, Elvie Jeune, is Haitian. She immigrated to Canada with the kind of dreams only a determined heart could carry. The culture, the language, the resilience; it all seeped into how she raised her kids.
As for Félix Mathurin, not much is publicly known about his heritage, but reports suggest he was also of Haitian descent. Together, Elvie and Félix passed down a rich cultural tapestry; one that helped shape Bennedict into the multilingual, proud, and grounded man he is today.
French, English, Spanish, Haitian Creole; he speaks them all. Because he lived them all.
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Inside Bennedict Mathurin’s Relationship with His Mother
Now here’s the heart of it all; Elvie and Bennedict’s bond. It’s not just mother-son love. It’s deeper. Raw. Forged through pain and perseverance. After losing her husband and then a child, Elvie could’ve folded. But she didn’t. She became Bennedict’s everything. She made sure he had meals, books, basketball shoes… and a vision. And she didn’t miss a single game. Rain, snow, exhaustion; none of it mattered. She showed up. Always.
And Bennedict? He noticed. Every rebound, every bucket, every sprint down the court; he carries her with him. That fire in his game? That toughness? It’s all her. “My mom, she’s my hero,” he once said.
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Final Word
Bennedict Mathurin isn’t just rising in the NBA because of talent. He’s rising because of where he comes from; and who raised him. Behind every explosive dunk is a story of love. Behind every win is a mother’s sacrifice. And behind every setback? A past that refused to break him. He’s not just Elvie’s son. He’s proof that her fight wasn’t in vain.
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Is Bennedict Mathurin's journey the ultimate testament to the power of family and sacrifice?