Matisse Thybulle lost his mother when he was 17. Now he carries her legacy with him to the NBA.
It could have ended up so differently. Grief can stall things. Thybulle could have decided to delay going to college. He could have taken time away from basketball. But that’s not what his mother would have wanted.
When Matisse Thybulle crossed the stage at the Barclays Center on Thursday and shook the NBA commissioner’s hand after being drafted, one of the first things he thought of was his mother.
“I wish she was here to see it,” he told ESPN through tears, moments after hearing his name announced as the 20th pick in the draft.
Thybulle’s mother, Elizabeth, died on Feb. 2, 2015, after battling acute myeloid leukemia. Thybulle was just 17 when his mother died.
What the Thybulle family will tell you is that there were two pairs within the family of four. Chloe, his sister, and Greg, his father, are mirrors of each other’s personalities. They are lively, extroverted, and bursting with energy that is fed from humor. Thybulle and his mother were the other pair. Reserved, caretakers, who were always able to take on more than anyone else thought they could.
“Life changed for us on a dime,” Greg said of his wife’s passing. “She did not want them spending time in the hospital. So she gave me direct orders."
The first order was for Greg to make sure Chloe and Matisse lived their lives. Elizabeth did not want them to have to worry about fighting cancer — it was not their fight. She wanted them to go to school, take part in their extracurricular activities, and spend time with friends.
It became clear over the next four years, through Thybulle’s time at the University of Washington and leading up to the NBA draft, that he was becoming more and more like his mother.
During his time with the Huskies, Thybulle always had more gear than he needed. He kept the surplus of sweaters, sneakers, and T-shirts in his car. When he saw someone on the street in need, he gave his extra gear away.
“That’s Matisse,” Chloe said. “He wouldn’t talk about it. He didn’t do it for attention. He just did it because it felt right. People will always tell me as I get older that I look like my mom, but Matisse is my mom, they are so much alike."
In 2010, when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti, Greg’s native country, Elizabeth, a naturopathic doctor, volunteered her time helping the Haitian people.
On the anniversary of her passing, Matisse would go to the hospital, to the cancer ward, and bring gifts and thank-you cards for the nurses who cared for Elizabeth.
“Elizabeth was unique,” Greg said. “She was a kind and gentle soul. Matisse has the same soul. He will give of himself like that. All that patience and kindness comes from his mother.”
The morning after the draft, Matisse and his family were at the Sixers’ facility in Camden for his introductory news conference. After a long and event-filled night, full of photo ops, interviews, and being pulled in every direction, the next day was more of the same.
“I couldn’t do this if I was Matisse, I would have folded a long time ago,” Greg said.
Chloe echoed that sentiment.
“He’s handling all of this like it’s nothing," she said. “That’s how my mom was, too. Just calm.”
Greg recalled the orders Elizabeth gave to him and he said he couldn’t be more proud of what his son has accomplished.
It could have ended up so differently. Grief can stall things. Matisse could have decided to delay going to college. He could have taken time away from basketball. But that’s not what Elizabeth would have wanted.
The insistence that their children should be given every chance to fulfill their dreams kept Greg going on most days. Sometimes, it wasn’t as easy. He felt as if he needed to be lifted up more often than Chloe or Matisse. But on Thursday and Friday, watching his son realize his dream, and take on everything that came with it, he knew he had done right by his wife.
“Matisse had two bills that needed to be paid to his mother and I,” Greg said. “No. 1 was paid on June 15 during his commencement ceremony, when he graduated from UW. That was the cake. The icing on the cake was getting to the NBA. His commitment to achieving his dreams paid the second bill.”
On the evening of Elizabeth’s memorial, in the same Eastside Catholic gymnasium where the service had been held, Matisse played basketball. He scored 31 points.
He often feels as if his mother is with him when he plays basketball. Thybulle’s games will be on a bigger stage, in NBA arenas filled with tens of thousands of people, but his family is certain Elizabeth will continue to guide him.