Exclusive: All-Star Weekend was a homecoming for Spurs rookie Carter Bryant

The San Antonio Spurs were well-represented over All-Star Weekend. Victor Wembanyama was voted in as a starter to the All-Star Game. Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper took part in the Rising Stars competition, with Harper also a part of the return of the Shooting Stars event. And rookie Carter Bryant, who only recently has begun to see regular playing time with the Spurs, was one of the headliners for the Slam Dunk Contest.

Bryant was also a late selection for the Rising Stars competition as a replacement due to the injury to Memphis Grizzlies rookie Cedric Coward. He was impressive during his first All-Star Weekend appearance, showing off some of the defensive ability that the Spurs knew they were getting when they drafted him.

In the first Rising Stars game as part of Team Vince, Bryant finished with four points, one rebound and one blocked shot in a little over five minutes. In the second game, with Team Vince winning the Rising Stars championship, Bryant finished with five points, one rebound and one steal while shooting a perfect 2-of-2, including 1-of-1 from 3-point range.

For Bryant, being able to participate in All-Star Weekend as a rookie was a testament to the hard work he’s put in since being drafted.

“From my aspect, I feel like the work that I put in is being seen, and my teammates have held me to a standard which has allowed me to perform a certain way,” Bryant told ClutchPoints in an exclusive interview. “Obviously with the injury, something had to go my way for this to happen, but I’m blessed enough to be in a position where I performed well enough this season, whether it was those past few games, to earn an opportunity to play in the Rising Stars game. It’s an honor.”

Not only was Carter Bryant given a the opportunity to participate in the NBA’s marquee weekend, but it was a homecoming for the Spurs rookie. His father D’Cean has been a longtime staple in the Southern California basketball scene, playing in college at Long Beach State before transitioning to coaching high school basketball.

Bryant grew up in Southern California and played his senior year of high school at local powerhouse Corona Centennial. He also played for his father at Fountain Valley and Sage Hill, two other local high schools. One of the biggest things for him about taking part in All-Star Weekend was getting to have his family in attendance.

“Growing up, All-Star Weekend is everything for a kid, especially when you love the game. The best players in basketball get together and make stuff happen,” Bryant said. “But for it to be in my hometown, and for it to be something I’ve always dreamed of being a part of, I’m ecstatic. Just being able to have my family, being able to have my loved ones able to support me, it means everything.”

And if course as a local kid, it was former Los Angeles Lakers superstar, the late Kobe Bryant, who supplied him with his favorite All-Star memory.

“I would say one that really stood out was Kobe’s last All-Star Game. Being a Southern California kid, being a Kobe guy growing up, when he got that last year when they had the All-Star Game in Toronto,” Bryant said. “Just that whole weekend in general, from the dunk contest to the All-Star Game, having iconic moments within that whole thing, it was dope.”

Carter Bryant’s coming out party with Spurs

The Rising Stars Game wasn’t the only event that Carter Bryant participated in over All-Star Weekend. He was also selected for the Slam Dunk Contest. He made it to the final round of the contest where he eventually lost to Keshad Johnson of the Miami Heat.

While Bryant didn’t win the dunk contest, he had a strong overall showing. He cited how the event has served as a coming out party of sorts for young players in the past. As he navigates his rookie year with the Spurs, he feels like his All-Star Weekend participation can be a springboard for his own career.

“I feel like the one thing that’s been lacking over the past few years is the swagger and the confidence that a lot of the greats had that did it originally. . .that was a lot of guys’ coming out party in a sense. A lot of young guys that came in, they were really young players but they wanted to do the dunk contest,” Bryant said “Kind of bringing that energy back to the dunk contest, having the confidence about myself that I trust what I work on. I have a God-given ability with my athleticism and being able to put that on display.”

Right before the All-Star break was when Bryant got his first real opportunity in the Spurs rotation. The No. 14 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, he played off and on through the first few months of the regular season, but it wasn’t until February that he got consistent playing time.

In the six games he played right before the break, he scored in double figures three times, including a career-high 16 points in a blowout road win against the Los Angeles Lakers. During that stretch, Bryant showed signs of being a dependable 3-point shooter. He shot a combined 44 percent from distance, a vast increase from his season average of 32.9 percent.

Much of what he’s learned as far as what it takes to be successful in the NBA is being patient.

“Patience is everything. I would say that’s the biggest thing I’ve learned. Understanding that not everything is going to happen on your terms, understanding how big learning is,” Bryant said. “Having good vets and having a great coaching staff, being able to sit down with multiple people on the coaching staff. . .even down to the video room, talking to the training staff on how to take care of my body properly. They’ve seen guys that have done this for a long time and gotten to play 20 years.”

“That’s the end goal, to play for a long time and be a hell of a player,” Bryant continued. “Being able to pick those minds and not staying in those moments when you feel like you can’t get anything right.”

But aside from his offensive capabilities, the defensive end of the court has been an area where Bryant has shined early in his rookie season. When it comes to the Spurs’ regular rotation players, Bryant is top-10 on the team in defensive rating, as per StatMuse.

Offense sometimes comes and goes in the NBA, and the number of shots and opportunity players receive often varies from game to game. But the defensive end of the court, that’s something that’s non-negotiable. The effort and energy defensively should always be there no matter how many shot attempts a player gets.

That’s the one part of Bryant’s game that he’s 100 percent confident in that he can make an impact right away.

“I don’t think there’s anybody you can put in front of me where I’m going to shy away from the competition. I embrace competition. That’s something I grew up on. I grew up watching Kobe. I grew up watching those guys go at each other’s necks every night,” Bryant said. “There was no buddy-buddy when I grew up watching NBA basketball. That’s just the mentality, I’m trying to bring that understanding that every night is an opportunity to show what you’re made of.”

At the time of the All-Star break, the Spurs were in second place in the Western Conference standings, and being mentioned among possible title contenders. As it stands, they are 40-16 in the West, have won eight consecutive games and trail the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder by only two and half games.

Players always have goals they want to reach during a season, especially young players experiencing the NBA for the first time. But not Bryant. For him, all the individual stuff will come in time. Right now, it’s all about maximizing his ability to help the team win.

“Making a playoff appearance, and with the talent we have and the team we have, being able to make a run at the Finals. I feel like we belong there. I feel like we have a lot of guys that really work their tail off, and I think we have a great balance of vets and young guys,” Bryant said. “We all go to work understanding what is a possibility for us as a team. I think that’s been the thing for me, I’m not worried about anything individual.”

“That sort of thing comes with time, and it comes with winning,” Bryant continued. “Winning is the No. 1 priority.”

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