Ex-UConn Star Stephon Castle Deserved To Win Dunk Contest: 'Actual NBA Player'
Saturday night’s 2025 NBA Slam Dunk Contest was a two-man show.
Former UConn star Andrew Jackson Jr. (now of the Milwaukee Bucks) and Chicago Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis stockpiled a bunch of missed dunk attempts, but another former UConn stud, Stephon Castle joined forces with defending Dunk Contest champ Mac McClung to keep the crowd entertained as the pair advanced into the final round against one another.
Castle showed off an array of effortless, powerful, and creative dunks throughout the contest, including a never-before-seen dunk where he came from behind the hoop and caught a made layup mid-air after it passed through the next, put the ball between his legs, and slammed it home.
Castle received a perfect score of 50 on multiple of his epic dunks but ultimately didn’t overcome McClung, who also had multiple amazing dunks, some of which featured props (like a car on the court).
Some people on social media pointed out the difference in Dunk Contest approaches between Castle — who didn’t employ props — and McClung’s more prop-based act.
Interestingly, some viewed this difference as a credit to Castle and a knock against McClung.
Here’s what Yahoo Sports’ longtime basketball analyst Kevin O’Connor had to say about the contest on Saturday night.
“Stephon Castle should’ve won,” O’Connor posted to X. “Better dunks without the use of gimmick props and he’s an actual NBA player.”
While the last part of O’Connor’s post may have been a bit harsh, his insistence that Castle had better overall dunks certainly carries a legitimate argument.
All in all, Castle performed like a champion during the contest, just one night after taking home the Rising Stars MVP trophy. It’s been a wildly successful weekend for the Rookie of the Year favorite thus far.
More NCAA: Former UConn Star Stephon Castle Takes Home NBA Rising Stars MVP: 'Means A Lot'
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Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org