Spurs' Stephon Castle Wins MVP, Leads Team C to Win in 2025 Castrol Rising Stars
Team C (Chris Mullin) is moving on to the first-ever NBA All-Star Game mini tournament after taking down the Castrol Rising Stars competition on Friday in San Francisco's Chase Center.
San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle won well-deserved MVP honors.
In Friday's semifinal, Castle posted six points, four assists and four rebounds in a 40-34 win over Team T (Tim Hardaway).
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft took over in the final against Team G League, scoring 12 points in a 25-14 win.
This year's Rising Stars competition featured a four-team tournament consisting of three teams of NBA rookies and second-year players and a fourth squad of G League stars.
The three teams of NBA rookies and second-year players were drafted by a trio of former Golden State Warrior legends in Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin.
That group was known as Run-TMC during their time together with the Warriors from 1989-1991, a name in honor of hip hop group Run-DMC and the team's breakneck pace and top-scoring offense.
So those three legends' Rising Stars squads were coined after their first names' initials (Teams T, M and C) alongside the G League crew, which was coached by ex-NBA star Jeremy Lin.
They were matched up in a four-team, single-elimination tournament. The semifinals were played up to a target score of 40 points, while the final featured a target score of 25 points.
Here's a game-by-game look at how it all went down, followed by a look at what's next.
Semifinal 1: Team C 40, Team T 34
Team C enjoyed a wire-to-wire victory, leading 10-2 early en route to a 12-point advantage (19-7) later on.
Team C had this game in full control up 25-14, but Team M made this close after a 7-0 run cut the deficit to 25-21. Team M was unable to make this a one-possession game down the stretch, however.
Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George led Team C with 10 points. Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (seven points, four assists, four rebounds) and San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (six points, four assists, four rebounds) also guided Team C to the finals.
For Team T, Toronto Raptors forward Gradey Dick led all scorers with 12 points, hitting 5-of-7 shots (2-of-3 from three).
Semifinal 2: Team G League 40, Team M 39
Portland Trail Blazers guard Bryce McGowens hit a well-contested game-winning three-pointer to spring Team G League to a 40-39 upset over Team M.
On Team G League's previous possession, Minnesota Timberwolves big man Leonard Miller tied the game at 37 following a dunk.
However, Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson with a slam of his own for the 39-37 edge.
G League then called timeout. The easy call here was going for a three to hopefully prevent Team M from getting the ball back with a chance to win.
McGowens didn't get a clear shot. However, he didn't need it, drilling the winner from the wing to finish with 12 points. Miller led all scorers with 14 points while adding seven rebounds.
For Team M, Thompson led the way with 11 points.
Final: Team C 25, Team G League 14
Team C launched a game-ending 17-2 run to cruise into Sunday's All-Star Game tournament en route to an 11-point win.
Team G League looked as if it could spring the tremendous upset after taking a 12-8 lead, but the squad simply ran out of gas after just playing a hard-fought game. They also struggled from deep, making just 2-of-10 three-pointers.
Meanwhile, Castle posted six points and two assists in that 17-2 run to propel Team C to victory.
What's Next
Team C will now take part in a four-team competition Sunday that also features teams of NBA superstars: Team Kenny's Young Stars, Team Chuck's Global Stars and Team Shaq's OGs.
Team C will now morph into Candace's Rising Stars. The four squads are named after TNT Sports basketball analysts Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Candace Parker.
After the game, Parker announced that she was adding Amen Thompson to the roster to round out her eight-player squad, which includes Castle, George, Knecht, Warriors big man Trayce Jackson-Davis, Phoenix Suns guard Ryan Dunn and Memphis Grizzlies teammates Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells.
On Sunday, Team Kenny and Team Chuck will first face off at 8:20 p.m. ET. Team Candace and Team Shaq will then face off, with the semifinal winners then playing in the finals.
All games will have a winning target score of 40 points.
