Spurs star Victor Wembanyama shares special reaction to Stephon Castle repeating his ROTY heroics

San Antonio Spurs’ Stephon Castle won this year’s Rookie of the Year award on Tuesday after being one of the key figures in his team’s run this season. Castle beat out other contenders, such as top pick Zaccharie Risacher of the Atlanta Hawks, Alex Wells of the Memphis Grizzlies and Alex Sarr of the Washington Wizards.

Castle proved to be a capable partner alongside Spurs’ superstar and last year’s Rookie of the Year winner Victor Wembanyama, who posted a picture of them during the season in his Instagram story on Wednesday to mark Castle’s accomplishment.

Wembanyama inserted three castle emojis in the picture, which saw them dapping up during a regular-season game.

Castle, the 20th pick in last year’s draft, averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 0.91 steals in 26.7 minutes, missing only one matchup during the 82-game regular season. However, the Spurs missed the playoffs after only winning 34 games against 48 losses, good for the 13th spot in the Western Conference.

Castle got 92 first-place votes to secure the runaway victory for the best rookie award. His tandem with Wembanyama during the season even earned them the nickname “Area 51” due to their jersey numbers.

Wembanyama, who was named an All-Star this season, averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.8 blocks per contest. However, he was only held to just 48 games due to blood clots found on his shoulder following the NBA All-Star break.

Once Wembanyama recovers from his health scare, the two are expected to continue their impressive stretches this season as they look to revive the Spurs’ winning culture.

Victor Wembanyama showers Stephon Castle with praises as he adds to Spurs rookie successes

Victor Wembanyama gave Stephon Castle his flowers in his post on X, following the announcement of his award on Tuesday. Wembanyama praised Castle’s qualities that made him the best rookie this year.

“Hustle, heart & just pure talent… all year long, you showed why you deserved this title !! So proud of you @StephonCastle 🙏🏽🙏🏽❤️,” he wrote.

Castle became the fourth Spurs player to win the award after David Robinson, Tim Duncan and Wembanyama.

Castle and Wembanyama could also see another rookie added to their team during the offseason, as the Spurs hold the eighth and 14th-best odds to take the first pick in the 2025 NBA draft. If they win the lottery, the Spurs could see another dynasty rise in San Antonio, just like in the past decades.

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