The rookie shined as he led his team to two wins in the event.
Former UConn Husky Stephon Castle continues to put the NBA on notice, collecting MVP honors during Friday night’s Rising Stars event as part of NBA All-Star Weekend.
The rookie for the San Antonio Spurs led his team to two wins as part of the NBA’s newest All-Star format, with the team now advancing to Sunday’s All-Star mini-tournament to compete against the league’s best. The Spurs picked him 4th overall in last June’s NBA Draft.
Castle played 14 minutes in Team C’s 40-34 win in the semi-final round, contributing six points, four assists, and four rebounds. The following game, he scored 12 of his team’s 25 points, adding two assists and three rebounds. A 17-2 run from Castle’s team punched its ticket to the weekend’s star attraction Sunday night, when it is set to match up with ‘Shaq’s OGs,’ a roster coached by Shaquille O’Neal featuring LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and more.
The weekend is far from over for Castle, who will be participating in the Dunk Contest on Saturday night. He matches up against another former Husky, Andre Jackson Jr. of the Milwaukee Bucks, as well as the Chicago Bulls’ Matas Buzelis and Orlando Magic’s Mac McClung. On Sunday, Castle and his team of up-and-comers will have a chance to stun the NBA’s most prestigious players.
Each member of Team C will receive $35,000 for winning the Rising Stars event and $100,000 is awarded to the winner of the Dunk Contest ($50k to second place and $25k to the other two contestants). The team that wins the All-Star mini-tournament earns $125,000 each, so Castle could walk away from this weekend with a healthy bonus for his efforts.