Ever wondered what it is that makes stars like Bennedict Mathurin, who didn’t have it all easy growing up? It’s a fair question, and the answer might surprise you. Well, it turns out the very hardships we’re talking about end up shaping talents like him. A player who, playing his first NBA postseason, provided a valuable contribution to his team.

His 10.3 points per game through the series against the Milwaukee Bucks might not scream superstar, but it definitely shows promise. But here’s the part we rarely get to see—the story behind the stats—the story of who exactly Bennedict Mathurin is and where he comes from.

Born on June 19, 2002, Mathurin grew up in the heart of Montreal. And if you’ve ever read his piece in The Players’Tribune, you’d know just how close to home this city remains for him. He spoke of living on Dagenais Street, in apartments that held not just memories, but meaning. It was him, his older brother Dominique, his older sister Jennifer, and their mother. “It was just us and I loved it,” he shared.

But life didn’t come easy. When Bennedict was just 12, tragedy struck—the loss of his brother Dominique in a bike accident. And that heartbreak came only a year after their father, Felix, passed away. With so much loss in a short time, Mathurin and his sister leaned heavily on their mother, who raised them in Montreal-Nord.