The 2024 NBA Three-Point and Slam Dunk Contests are now in the books, and we witnessed some incredible action on the court. Damian Lillard emerged victorious in the NBA Three-Point Contest, while Stephen Curry beat Sabrina Ionescu in the first-ever NBA vs. WNBA Three-Point Contest. Lastly, Mac McClung beat Jaylen Brown in the Slam Dunk Contest, and NBA fans reacted to the special night.
Curry is the greatest shooter the world has ever seen, one fan said.
WARDELL STEPHEN CURRY II.
THE GREATEST SHOOTER THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN.
THREE POINT KING. pic.twitter.com/SoYAkGLqht
— JP3 (@PooleOnBall) February 18, 2024
Skip Bayless claimed he had never seen anything like McClung’s dunk over Shaquille O’Neal.
Little McClung's HEAD was above the rim on that Shaq dunk. Never seen anything quite like it … and I was there the day Spud beat Dominique fair and square in Dallas.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) February 18, 2024
Another praised McClung for his incredible displays.
Mac McClung is so cold 😭pic.twitter.com/mgOZOO2c0U
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) February 18, 2024
Former NFL star Robert Griffin III tipped his cap to Ionescu and Curry.
Sabrina Ionescu put on for the @WNBA
Shot from the NBA 3 point line and scored just as many as the NBA winner. Steph Curry is just on a different level than the rest of the Galaxy.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) February 18, 2024
One joked that Bucks fans are wondering why Lillard hasn’t shot so well for them.
Bucks Fans looking at Dame when he doesn’t shoot like this in the season: pic.twitter.com/lXB8KUPGLw
— Let’s Talk Battle Rap (@LTBRpodcast) February 18, 2024
The Three-Point contest featuring Lillard, Karl-Anthony Towns, Trae Young, Jalen Brunson, Lauri Markkanen, Tyrese Haliburton, Malik Beasley, and Donovan Mitchell was a close-run thing. Lillard, Towns, and Young advanced to the final round, with Towns and Young both recording 24 points in it.
Lillard, the defending champion, went last and seemed set for an easy win, as he only had to make one shot on his final rack to clinch it. He shockingly missed his first four shots but made the last one to finish with 26 and defend his title. He became just the seventh player ever to win back-to-back contests after Larry Bird, Craig Hodges, Mark Price, Jeff Hornacek, Peja Stojakovic, and Jason Kapono.
We then got arguably the main event, as Curry and Ionescu faced off. It had initially been stated that the WNBA star would shoot from the WNBA line, but she opted to shoot from the NBA line.
The difference didn’t seem to matter at all, at first, as Ionescu drilled her first seven shots. It looked like the 26-year-old might get close to her record-breaking 37-point performance from the 2023 WNBA contest, but she slowed down in the end. The New York Liberty star only managed to hit five of her last 10 shots to finish with 26 points.
That opened the door for Curry, who ran through it. The 35-year-old had two perfect racks and only needed to make three shots as he went into his final one, which was also his money ball rack. The Golden State Warriors superstar missed his first shot but then made four in a row to finish with 29.
The Dunk Contest was up next and it, unfortunately, proved to be somewhat controversial. Defending champion McClung was joined in it by Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jaylen Brown, and Jacob Toppin. Brown’s dunks didn’t exactly capture the imagination of fans in the arena, but he still advanced to the final round to face McClung.
It looked like the Boston Celtics star had a great chance at coming away with the title, as McClung needed a score of 49.1 on his final dunk to defend his crown. The 25-year-old comfortably cleared that mark, however, as he leaped over Shaquille O’Neal on his final dunk to get 50s across the board.
McClung has now become the fifth player in NBA history to win back-to-back Dunk Contests, joining Michael Jordan, Jason Richardson, Nate Robinson, and Zach LaVine. He later stated he would think about participating in next year’s contest, and I sure hope he does. To be brutally honest, he was by far the most impressive performer here, and the league needs him in the contest.
The focus now shifts to the 2024 All-Star Game, which is set to take place on Sunday. There has been a lot of criticism regarding the game in recent years and hopefully, we get an entertaining clash between the East and the West.
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