Stephon Castle has already learned that even in the video game world, some teams come with rules. In NBA 2K27, his friends have apparently decided the Spurs are off limits whenever he tries to use them, and Castle says the reaction has been loud enough to make the whole thing a hassle.
“I'll be playing my friends and they'll be telling me I can't get the Spurs,” Castle explained in disbelief. “They said we're cheating.
I don't know [how that's cheating]. Hopefully I'll be able to get the Spurs this year if I let them get the Sixers or something.”
That sort of treatment says plenty about where San Antonio stands right now. Victor Wembanyama may be the headline grabber - especially with his spot as the cover athlete for NBA 2K27 - but the Spurs also have Castle developing into one of the league’s best young two-way guards. Add in Dylan Harper, who just finished his rookie season in the NBA, and De'Aaron Fox, an established and proven veteran, and the roster starts to look a lot more dangerous than a casual glance might suggest.
Castle said this kind of thing isn’t new for him. He remembers using the Spurs back in NBA 2K14, along with the Kevin Durant-led Oklahoma City Thunder and the LeBron James-led Miami Heat.
Stephon Castle: I thought the Spurs were really cheesy. I don't know what made me use them back then.
Because, I mean, it's not like they had crazy just star athleticism, stuff like that. But, I mean, they were pretty good back then.
I think the Thunder team was good before they gave up KD. And obviously the Heat were probably off limits when you play with somebody.”
On the court, Castle’s rise has been just as convincing as his status in the game. In his second NBA season, he put up 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the field.
He stepped it up again in the playoffs, averaging 18.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 0.9 steals across 23 appearances while shooting 46 percent. Castle was one of the leaders in the Spurs’ NBA Finals run, even if San Antonio ultimately came up short against the New York Knicks.
That finish will linger, and the Spurs will head into the 2026-27 season with revenge on their minds.
In Other News...
Spurs' Huge Summer Now Has A Franchise Fight Looming
San Antonios push for a new Spurs arena hit another roadblock this week when the City Council declined to put the citys proposed contribution in front of voters. The move comes even after Bexar County had already backed public funding for the project, leaving the franchises long-running arena effort caught between local political support and local political resistance.
The debate now shifts to how, and whether, the rest of the plan can keep moving. Spurs CEO RC Buford has said the team wants to press ahead, while Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has argued for more voter input on the deal and opposed the councils decision. With the arena financing built around the Spurs paying $500 million and the city directing money already set aside for entertainment venues, the issue is no longer just about a building. It is about who gets to decide the franchises future home. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyama And Castle Are Giving Spurs Fans A Bigger Reason To Dream
Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle have already given Spurs fans something more to track than raw upside. Castle has emerged as a playmaking force despite not being a point guard, and his feel for finding Wembanyama has helped turn the pair into one of the more intriguing young offensive connections in the league. It is the kind of chemistry that can change how a team is built around two rising talents, especially when both players appear to want their future rooted in San Antonio.
The long view is where this starts to get really interesting. The Spurs are not just hoping for a good season or two from this duo, they are staring at the possibility of sustained partnership if the roster and the contract timelines hold. There is still a long road between promising connection and all-time status, but the fact that this conversation is even possible says plenty about how quickly Wembanyama and Castle have raised the ceiling of what the Spurs can imagine. [Read more 🡒]
Spurs Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Austin Push
The Spurs are leaning harder into Austin this season, and the schedule makes the point plainly. San Antonio will play three games at Moody Center during the 2024-25 campaign, part of a broader effort that has seen the franchise grow its footprint in Central Texas through community events and even the naming rights to a half marathon.
The timing is notable, too, because one of those games lands during a packed Austin sports weekend that also features Formula 1 and Texas Longhorns football. For a franchise that has spent years treating Austin as more than just a nearby market, this is another sign that the Spurs see real value in deepening the connection, even as the full scope of the move keeps unfolding. [Read more 🡒]