San Antonio Spurs Rookie Finds 'Older Brother' in Unconventional Veteran Leader
The San Antonio Spurs have no shortage of all-time greats for their young players to pick over.
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Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Gregg Popovich all make themselves available for young players to learn from, which is one of the reasons why "Spurs Culture" has persisted long after those legends retired.
However, with Duncan, Pop, and the others around, reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle has decided that he wants to join those ranks, putting himself in a position to teach his newest teammates.
"He has taken great strides," said summer league coach Mike Noyes of Castle. "He's a part of our future for the long haul."
Castle is not on the summer league roster, as expected, since he has firmly proven that he already belongs in the NBA, although he is practicing with the team in order to get live playing time throughout the summer.
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"For him to be here, even though he knows he's not playing, it just speaks to his character," Noyes praised. "He's a competitor."
While Noyes appreciates having a player in the gym who has been there before, the rookies know that Castle can be a resource.
"I think the biggest thing for me, I'm just trying to be a sponge, whether that's talking to Steph, talking to Harrison [Ingram], talking to all these guys, just being around these dudes, asking questions from the coaching staff as well, just being engaged in everything," summed up rookie Carter Bryant, who is expeted to have a massive role on the summer league team.
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Bryant and Dylan Harper are longtime friends and rivals and are excited to share the court together in the NBA, but Bryant's relationship with Castle is just as strong and was described as brotherly.
"I've known Steph for two and a half, three years now," revealed Bryant.
"And I mean, he's always been like an older brother to me. He's always took me under his wing, gave me knowledge, whether that was throughout his rookie season or before when I was going into college or whatever the case may be."
Both Bryant and Castle have made it clear that they take ultimate pride in their defense, and the two are expected to work together to help the 14th overall pick play a key rotational role this season, even after a limited role in his lone college season at Arizona.
Check out the Inside the Spurs home page for more news, analysis, and must-read articles.
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Related: San Antonio Spurs' Dream Scenario for 2026 Remains Unrealistic Even With LeBron James News
Related: San Antonio Spurs' Dream Scenario for 2026 Remains Unrealistic Even With LeBron James News
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
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