Stephon Castle’s first night at NBA All-Star was a success, but he’s far from done with festivities in San Francisco this weekend.

Friday evening, Castle was among the pool of Rising Stars — split into two teams — selected to compete against each other with a spot in the new All-Star Game format at stake. At the end of the night, he was the first sole Rising Stars MVP with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Beyond that, Castle also joined Blake Griffin as the first player since his run in 2011 to participate in an event on each day of the weekend. Saturday, Castle will join Matas Buzelis, Andre Jackson Jr. and Mac McClung in the NBA’s annual Dunk Contest before participating in the newly formatted All-Star game as a member of Candace Parker’s Rising Stars.

After his performance on Friday, the rookie made sure to give flowers to his mentor, Chris Paul.

“He’s been a mentor for me,” Castle said. “Great teammate, a friend. He doesn’t only help me on the court, but off the court. I have the most respect for C.P. and for what he’s done for me this year.

“He’s been a great confidence builder for me.”

Thanks, in part, to Paul, Castle is the league’s frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, and is certainly making his case stronger as the weekend progresses.

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