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San Antonio Spurs rookie Stephon Castle is having an incredible first season, and he drove that point home Friday night by winning the Rising Stars Game MVP at NBA All-Star Weekend. After leading his Team C to victory and earning a berth to play in Sunday's All-Star game tournament, Castle sent a warning to his opponents, Shaq's OGs, which features still-playing legends LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry as well as James Harden, Kyrie Irving Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Damian Lillard.
“Just be ready for us,” Castle told ESPN's Taylor Rooks during the Rising Stars Game MVP trophy presentation. “Don't count us out. I, mean, we're here to win it.”
“Just be ready for us”
Stephon Castle had a STRONG message for Team Shaq after winning Rising Stars MVP 👀
(via @NBAonTNT)pic.twitter.com/ZDJKatZ5Ev
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 15, 2025
This year's NBA All-Star format is much different than what most fans are used to. Instead of a traditional basketball game, the Rising Stars tournament goes on to play in the NBA All-Star Game tournament on Sunday which will follow a similar formant.
Castle also told Rooks that his and his team's motivation came from wanting to “play on Sunday” against the All-Stars.
Now, the Spurs star and his teammates — Dalton Knecht (Los Angeles Lakers), Jaylen Wells (Memphis Grizzlies), Keyonte George (Utah Jazz), Zach Edey (Memphis Grizzlies), Trayce Jackson-Davis (Golden State Warriors), and Ryan Dunn (Phoenix Suns) — will face LeBron, Steph, and KD's team on the third day of All-Star Weekend.
Making it to Sunday is a historic feat for Stephon Castle. The former Uconn Huskies star and No. 4 overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft will become just the first player in 14 years to appear in all three days of All-Star Weekend, as he is poised to compete in the Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday as well.
The last player to play in Rising Stars, feature in the dunk contest, and play in the main event on Sunday was Blake Griffin in 2011.
