The NBA All-Stars will see a tough competition approaching their way in the upcoming hours. Not just from themselves, but from Stephon Castle too. After ‘Inside the NBA’ hosts Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith had drafted their teams from the selected All-Stars, it was up to the other host, WNBA legend Candace Parker, to wait until the Rising Stars competition ended to make her pick. As the competition ended, it was apparent that Parker was gaining a significant force in the form of the San Antonio Spurs rookie after he bagged MVP honors and led his team to victory.

If there was anyone who felt the proudest towards the player, then it was his mother. You don’t have to take anyone’s word for it. All you need to do is visit Quannette Castle’s X profile and see for yourself.

The 50-year-old’s excitement could be reflected in her statement, which stated, “I’m extremely proud of my guy…RISING STAR MVP…. Hands down 5 STAR in the dunk contests.. yall seen it…. AND WILL PLAY IN HIS FIRST ALLSTAR GAME ON SUNDAY NIGHT… SUNDAY NIGHT.. if you actually understand basketball you understand how big of a deal this Is”.

She thanked God for helping Stephon reach this stage and laid some expectations. After all, having made his mark in Rising Stars, it was time for him to focus on the main All-Star game.

“Son you absolutely DOMINATED this weekend….  In my humble opinion,” Quannette wrote. “IYKYK…. Keep stacking & stacking the days..literally.”

Stephon Castle’s mother is certainly someone who stands as a strong pillar of support for her ‘Rising Star’. It was the Spurs rookie’s father who passed on the love for basketball to his son, having represented Wake Forest and the University of Central Florida as a guard during his early days.

Meanwhile, despite the low profile she reportedly maintains, Quannette has often been seen attending her son’s games, and publicly reacting to her son’s feat. A simple “Geesh…” was made famous by her after she commented on it soon after Stephon Castle made a monstrous slam over Santi Aldama during a Spurs-Grizzlies matchup back in early February. In light of this and her remarks after Castle’s MVP win, we can surely expect more reactions from Momma Castle during the All-Star game.

Speaking of the ASG, Stephon Castle is surely connected enough to make a potential mark. During the three-game competition between the four teams, Castle’s Team C beat Team T 40-30. In the finals, the 20-year-old added 12 points to Team C’s eventual 25 points total, along with 3 rebounds and 2 assists. The win ensured that Castle’s next game would be against Team Shaq, consisting of veterans like Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, etc.

The young star, however, was not one to run away from the challenge so easily. He declared after winning the MVP title, “Just be ready for us. Don’t count us out. We’re here to win it”.

Stephon Castle will have lots of support going into the upcoming All-Star game. His mother is just one voice amidst the crowd of others. After all, Hall of Famers are not leaving games in frustration if they didn’t believe in him.

Stephon Castle received indirect support from an unknown HoF during the Dunk Contest

Before the All-Star game, players proved their worth in the Slam Dunk contest. Split into two rounds, the first one featured all four selected dunkers of the event. The two with the highest scores proceed to the next round. Stephon Castle left a memorable impression during the 2 round. He scored a 49.6 with his first dunk and a 50 with his second. In the last dunk, he went behind his back to switch from his right hand to left before the slam. Despite this feat, he couldn’t perform better than Mac McClung, who walked away with his 3 consecutive Slam Dunk title. If anyone believed that Castle was better, then they had the support of another prominent athlete.

According to Tim Kawakami, an anonymous Hall of Famer reportedly left the arena soon after the Dunk Contest began. His identity has not been specified yet. However, the former player reportedly said, “I saw 0 for 8 on dunks, I’m outta here.”

This revelation only added fuel to the claim that the Spurs rookie should have won the Contest. Kevin O’Connor claimed so as well, since he wrote “Stephon Castle should’ve won. Better dunks without the use of gimmick props and he’s an actual NBA player.” Ja Morant also voiced his opinion, writing “fw Castle!!”.

As Team Shaq prepares to go up against the Rising Stars, it will be nice knowing that Castle will have some support. Whether he utilizes that well to deliver a memorable performance is something that remains to be seen.