Stephon Castle led Team C to a decisive 25-14 win in the Rising Stars MVP game, earning $35,000 and a spot in Sunday’s All-Star Game. The San Antonio Spurs rookie is also competing in the dunk contest Saturday night.
Castle scored 11 points and collected one of his three assists on Utah Jazz rookie Keyonte George’s game-winning 3-pointer. He will join Blake Griffin as the latest players to compete in events on all three nights of All-Star Weekend.
The team, coached by Chris Mullin, won its first group game with Castle hitting the deciding jump shot to beat Team T. In Sunday’s game, they will face Shaq’s OGs, featuring Hall of Famers LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant.
Castle expressed his excitement about playing alongside his idols: “As a basketball player, it’s really all I can ask for… watching those guys all the time growing up.” He praised his team’s confidence and said, “We’re out there with nothing to lose.”
The All-Star Game will feature four teams of eight players competing in a mini-tournament. Team C’s coach, Candace Parker, will take over from Mullin on Sunday, selecting Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson to fill the final roster spot.
Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/43852722/castle-wins-rising-stars-mvp-team-c-reaches-all-star-game