After years of underwhelming Slam Dunk competitions, expectations were low coming into this year’s event. With a lack of superstar participants, the once revered Slam Dunk contest was almost an afterthought heading into All-Star Saturday night.
This time, however, Mac McClung averted all expectations and absolutely stole the show in the best way possible.
His insane and ridiculously difficult dunks were executed to perfection and, even more impressively, McClung was able to nail them all on his first attempts.
Needless to say, Mac put the world on notice last night but it’s not the beginning of his wild story. A 24-year-old shooting guard, McClung was an unknown coming into this event. In the past five days alone his whole world has changed, going from G-League nobody to PUMA athlete and Slam Dunk champion.
In the past five days, Mac McClung has:
▪️ Gone from the G-League to the 76ers
▪️ Been signed by PUMA
▪️ Won the Slam Dunk Contest pic.twitter.com/JLHuBNLh00
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) February 19, 2023
McClung is being credited with saving the Dunk contest, but it remains to be seen if he can follow up his performance on Saturday with an even better showing next year. Only time will give us the answer, but Mac has already committed to returning to defend his title.
Mac McClung Saved The Dunk Contest
Since the iconic duel between Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon in 2016, the dunk contest has seen a steady drop in both quality and fan interest across the league. And while many problems still exist with the contest, McClung proved that the NBA’s latest model of bringing in dunk experts over star players can work.
“Oh man, I don’t know if that’s true. But I appreciate that. It’s really a blur, to be honest,” said McClung after being credited with saving the dunk contest. “Probably a lot of stuff’s happened on the internet, I haven’t checked. I had a lot of help, Chuck and my best friends calling me every night trying to give me ideas. It was a lot of fun.”
Of course, players will have to be at the top of their game next year to beat McClung, who found the perfect mix of execution and creativity for his dunks.
Sadly, his theatrics this weekend may not do much to change the trajectory of his career, but it allows him to thrive and profit from the area of the court he’s best at.
At the very least, it put his name in the spotlight and we all know what kind of perks come with it.
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