SAN FRANCISCO – With the ability to dunk with the best of them, Spurs rookie Stephon Castle will take center stage Saturday night in the NBA All-Star 2025 Slam Dunk Contest.
Castle will compete with two-time Slam Dunk champion Mac McClung, a two-way player with the Orlando Magic; Chicago Bulls' Matas Buzelis; and Milwaukee Bucks' Andre Jackson Jr.
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“I’m super confident about it,” Castle said. “I’m excited for it. I mean, a little nervous, but I feel like the other three guys should be, too. But, I mean, this is just a great opportunity for us.”
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Castle said the first time he ever dunked was the summer before ninth grade. The 20-year-old still remembers the feeling from that day.
“I mean, it was crazy,” Castle told the media. “I had been trying to dunk for a long time before that, so to, you know, finally dunk. You know, you can see that my body was kind of transitioning a little bit. So, I was happy about it.”
A slam dunk can certainly bring a crowd to its feet and fill an arena with excitement — a moment that Castle enjoys.
“I feel like I’m kind of comfortable in those kinds of moments,” Castle said. “I mean, at the end of the day, it’s just basketball, you know, just having fun with it. But yeah, I mean, I have confidence in my abilities too. So, you know, I’m not really thinking too much about the dunk. I just go out there and kind of freestyle a little bit.”
Castle does have a slam dunk he considers worthy of winning the event, but he’s keeping it under wraps until Saturday night.
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