How Does Stephon Castle Connect with Tim Duncan?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Lance Roberson | Last updated Nov 19, 2024 5:02 PM ET

Stephon Castle is a winner. In addition to his 2024 NCAA championship as a member of the UConn Huskies, the rookie point guard also has an intriguing connection to an all-time NBA legend. The Spurs point guard's father, Stacey Castle, played with all-time great Spurs star Tim Duncan.

In a recent interview with Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson, Stephon shared what Stacey's time as Duncan's teammate meant for his basketball career and overall relationship with his dad.

Stacey played two years with Duncan at Wake Forest. During Duncan's freshman year, Stacey was a sophomore. Stacey averaged 2.4 points in 7.9 minutes in 21 games. That same season, Duncan averaged 9.8 points and 9.6 rebounds and led the AAC with 3.8 blocks in 30 minutes per contest.

From a young age, the stats alluded to Duncan's defensive greatness.

Stephon shared the value of his father instilling such experiences and lessons learned bestowed upon him at a young age.

"I feel like that it’s helped me tremendously to be able to lean on him with a lot of stuff because he’s been through it, and he’s seen it before,” Stephon told ScoopB.com.

Stephon is not one to take great advice for granted, given his reaction to Spurs point guard Chris Paul's tutelage during the 2024-25 season. Without Stacey's coaching, it's plausible his son wouldn't have made the NBA. Likewise, if Stephon had failed to hold himself accountable and allowed himself to be coached, he would have never made it to UConn.

The Spurs have a remarkable rookie in that he has the proper perspective without others needing to preach to him. Perhaps Duncan's spirit is in the locker room, as Stacey's teachings to Stephon involve playing with the NBA legend.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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