Team C, coached by Chris Mullin, defeated Team G League, coached by Jeremy Lin, by a final score of 25-14 on Friday night in the NBA Rising Stars tournament to advance to the 2025 NBA All-Star Game this Sunday.
Stephon Castle Won NBA Rising Stars MVP For Team C
San Antonio Spurs rookie Stephon Castle was awarded the Rising Stars MVP trophy after leading Team C to victory with 11 points and three assists, one of which came from Utah Jazz rookie Keyonte George’s game-winning 3-pointer.
“To be a part of the game-winning bucket in both, it means a lot,” said Castle, who is also competing in the dunk contest Saturday night.
Stephon Castle earned #CastrolRisingStars MVP honors with two strong performances!
🏆 18 PTS (12 of 25 in Championship)
🏆 7 REB
🏆 6 ASTHe led Team C to the #NBAAllStar mini-tournament on Sunday! pic.twitter.com/t7Bwx99PbK
— NBA (@NBA) February 15, 2025
Your 2025 #CastrolRisingStars MVP: @StephonCastle! pic.twitter.com/Vr8AzBTf7J
— NBA (@NBA) February 15, 2025
When asked what dunks he has planned for the dunk contest, Castle told ESPN, “I don’t want to spoil anything, but I’ll just say the MVP trophy isn’t the only trophy I’m trying to take home.”
The Rising Stars win earned Team C a berth in Sunday’s All-Star Game, where it will face off against Shaq’s OGs, featuring future Hall of Famers LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant.
“As a basketball player, it’s really all I can ask for, watching those guys all the time growing up, so to share my first All-Star Weekend with them and be able to share the court with them is a blessing,” Castle told ESPN.
Castle Will Join Blake Griffin As Players To Compete In Events On All Three Nights Of All-Star Weekend
According to Basketball Reference, Castle will join Blake Griffin as the latest players to compete in events on all three nights of NBA All-Star Weekend. Griffin did it in 2011 as a rookie for the Los Angeles Clippers.
In the first two games, the target score to reach was 40; in the final, the target score was 25. Team C won its first group game with Castle hitting the deciding jump shot to beat Team T, coached by Tim Hardaway Sr., 40-34.
Castle and the Team C players earned $35,000 apiece for Friday’s win, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Stops on a dime and pulls up for a game-winning middy 🔥
Stephon Castle advances Team C to the #CastrolRisingStars Championship Game! https://t.co/xRTPYcpfYQ pic.twitter.com/qfSVB4gMAX
— NBA (@NBA) February 15, 2025
The NBA Rising Stars tournament consists of three teams with seven first- and second-year players and a fourth team with seven G Leaguers. The All-Star Game is basically Friday’s format, as four teams of eight players will compete in a mini-tournament with all three games played to the target score of 40.
Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht, Phoenix Suns rookie Ryan Dunn and Golden State Warriors second-year big man Trayce Jackson-Davis will line up against James, Curry, and Durant on Sunday.
