Maturin had nothing to do with his father, Felix, who died in 2013, but he didn’t bother. He had June, which Maturin considered twins. They constantly played, spent long afternoons in local parks, and tasted chicken, rice, and beans from Haitian mother Elby June. The boys and their sister, Jen Maturin, lived in a discreet apartment and were attentive to each other, while LB worked long hours as a nurse to support the Montreal Knoll family. The most dangerous areas of Montreal..
Now 20 years old, Maturin recalls June’s tragic head injury with a steady look and cutout text, unfolding his shirt sleeves and revealing a tattoo with June’s name and his date of birth. I made it.
“A car hit him,” Maturin said in an interview at the Midtown Hotel in Manhattan on Wednesday. “I was at home. He didn’t come back from school. My mother was wondering what happened. She got a call. She went to the hospital. She went to him. It was hard for my mother, my sister, and the whole family. I couldn’t move forward. It took me several years to get used to it. “
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called Maturin the sixth selection in the Indiana Pacers draft, and spent two seasons at the University of Arizona, the 6-foot-6-wing, opening his red and black suit jacket as a kid. , Himself, June and his sister. Maturin’s mother hugged him and hung the Haiti flag on his shoulder.
There was no doubt that June would join Maturin on stage. After all, Maturin named his shoes June in Arizona and added the “#domixworld” hashtag to many of his tweets. Standing on 6th Avenue the day before the draft, Maturin turned his head to the right and assured the company that June was next to him.
“Everything I do is for my brother,” Maturin said. “He’s always with me. We did everything together. I already had one tip on my shoulder, [his death] Put another one. I now have tips on my shoulders. Whichever way people hit me, they will hit one of them. “
A few years after June’s death, Maturin grew rapidly. He stood 6 feet 4 at the age of 15 and for the first time believed that professional basketball was a realistic possibility. He wasn’t a shooter game yet, but he was powerful and naturally athletic because he played soccer and hockey as a kid. Maturin felt the additional pressure to feed his mother and sister to become a man at home, even when he was a teenager.
“It was a pretty rough area,” Maturin said. “It wasn’t easy. Some people chose the wrong path. Many died. Drugs. Guns. Shooting and violent things. I was always around. That’s really me. I learned to be grateful. The family focused on what I wanted to do. Basketball really saved me. “
An important link came in 2018 with mysterious advice from the head of the Quebec team in Maturin. “When the train comes, please use it.”
Within a few weeks, Maturin was invited to the NBA’s Latin American Academy. The academy was based in Mexico City at the time. A new program that provides basketball instruction, high school scholars, and life skills focused on a selected group of teenage prospects, four global academies established by the NBA to develop international talent. It was one of.
Academy attendees receive all scholarships, rooms, boards and guidance, from financial literacy to diet, nutrition, strength and conditioning programs. Maturin traveled around the world to compete with other NBA academies, compete in various international competitions, and help prepare for the university and NBA lifestyle.
Many of Canada’s top candidates, such as the Golden State Warriors’ Forward Andrew Wiggins, attended high school in the United States. However, Maturin’s family loved the academy’s controlled environment, one step away from the potential pitfalls of Montreal. And a big step towards the NBA.
“I was told that the campus would be very safe and focused,” said Jenn Mathurin, who played college basketball for four years at North Carolina State University. “He’s been on a safe campus in Mexico all the time. He really couldn’t be bothered. It was easy.”
Maturin was the first Canadian invitee at the Latin American Academy and at the age of 16 learned Spanish, the fourth language after English, French and Creole, to adapt to life without her mother’s cooking. I started.
Academy staff remember that Maturin arrived as a shy and quiet teenager. In one practice, the coach asked the team, which is the best shooter in the gym. All players except South Korean security guard Li Xianzheng, who attended the Australian NBA Academy and played a college ball at Davidson, shot nearly 40% with three pointers over three seasons.
The only exception was Maturin. Maturin nominated himself and stood tall when faced with Jim’s worthy strange appearance. In Mexico, he refined outside shooting and moved from his life as an energetic power forward to a typical wing and a louder leader. The two seasons at the Academy prepared for the University of Arizona, which he chose over other finalists Baylor, as he will play a bigger role as a freshman.
Chris Ebersole, head of the NBA’s elite basketball, said: “We want the academy to pave the way for as much as possible, whether players go to college, the G League, or a professional league abroad.”
During the sophomore breakout season in Arizona, Maturin competed for a draft board. He led Arizona to the 33-4 season with an average of 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Sweet 16 losses to Houston.. Maturin finished his college career as a 38.5% three-point shooter and was awarded the Pac-12 Player of the Year.
A comparison of Maturin’s favorite NBAs is Jimmy Butler in Miami and Jaylen Brown in Boston. These combine powerful attacks with intense defense, but he hurriedly added that he was “a little better as a shooter than Jimmy.” In an interview with the pre-draft team, Maturin said he was “really vigilant”, assuring his executives that his questions about defense and concentration were going in the wrong direction.
Perhaps he overcame a personal tragedy and prospered thousands of miles away from home, making Maturin new. Larger test. His professional goals are as high as possible. Win the 2023 Rookie of the Year Awards, MVP, and Championship for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Asked if it might sound a bit ambitious, given that he hasn’t played the NBA game yet, Maturin wiped out the idea that suspicion should affect his vision. .. Despite June’s accident, he is not afraid of bicycles. Despite his first culture shock in Mexico, he is currently learning his fifth language, Portuguese. And despite the surge in draft inventory over the last few months, Maturin promised to “bring my heart to the Pacers” and always remember the names of the five players chosen before him. Said that.
Before slipping into the hotel room to prepare for the final draft, Maturin said there was one test he was particularly looking forward to as a rookie, perhaps the largest. This is the first match against Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. ..
“Many people say he’s great,” Maturin said. “I want to see his splendor. I don’t think he’s better than me. He’ll have to show me better than me.”
