SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Spurs rookie Stephon Castle is already contributing on the court with his speed, defensive ability, and offensive skills.
He's also contributing in the locker room, especially with nicknames for his teammates.
Castle has nicknamed Chris Paul "unc" because he is the squad's elder statesman. The "unc" nickname has even trickled down to Harrison Barnes, as confirmed recently by Tre Jones.
But now the rookie guard is on another nickname quest: One for him and teammate Victor Wembanyama.
In an interview with ScoopB.com, Castle admits he does not have one for him and the Spurs center, but he is undoubtedly thinking it over.
“I haven’t come up with one yet,” said Castle. “For me and Wemby? Nothing yet. Probably sometime soon, though. I don’t know. That’s something to really think about, I don’t know yet.”
If Castle's "unc" nickname was a hit with his teammates, then you can bet whichever one he picks for him, and Wemby will be a slam dunk.
The Silver and Black faithful got in the fun and quickly pitched at with an appropriate nickname once they heard Castle was searching for one.
Here's a sample of some of the creative nicknames Spurs fans have come up with:
The overwhelmingly favorite fan-made nickname for Castle and Wembanyama comes from this X user who knocked it out of the park.
CASTLE LEARNING MUCH FROM PAUL
A massive boon for Castle's NBA development is having an NBA veteran at his side: Chris Paul.
Paul's NBA experience has been instrumental in Castle's young pro career, and he sees the benefits of having him on his side, whether it's advice on the court or off.
“Just being a teammate with him now, I just realize how open-minded he is with stuff off the court. We talk about a lot of stuff off the court, not just basketball, all the time," Castle said to ScoopB.com. "So learning that side of him has been great, and I feel it’s going to help me when I’m at his point in his career and my career.”
Paul sees the potential in the rookie guard and hopes he never tunes out his basketball advice.
"Steph probably gets tired of me talking to him," Paul said.
What is a good nickname for the Castle and Wemby paring? Let us know on X at KENS 5 and JeffGSpursKENS5.