Mac McClung might have single-handedly restored the shine on a dunk contest that has been widely panned in recent years.
And Damian Lillard represented his school and his brand, doing them both proud.
McClung, the six-foot-two Philadelphia guard on a two-way contract, defeated New Orleans’ Trey Murphy III in the finals of the dunk contest, culminating an NBA All-Star Saturday that may have finally answered the question as to whether what used to be the league’s signature event can be glitzy again.
McClung had the answer: Absolutely.
WATCH | McClung soars to NBA slam sunk title:
Mac McClung of the Delaware Blue Coats, the G League affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers, seals the victory at the NBA Slam Dunk contest with an impressive 540.
“I’m truly blessed and grateful for the NBA giving me this opportunity,” McClung said.
A 540-degree dunk — not a 360, a 540, him doing one-and-a-half rotations in the air — was his third perfect score of the night out of four dunks, but by the time the judges’ scores came up it was already decided. Everyone in the building knew he’d already won.
“It’s over,” McClung said.
It was. And he immediately committed to defending his title at Indianapolis at All-Star Saturday next year.
“If you guys will have me, I’ll be back,” McClung said.
The final score, not that it mattered, was McClung 100.0, Murphy 98.0.
‘Ever since the beginning, I was the underdog’
His is an unbelievable story: McClung has played mostly in the G League, where he ranks 36th in scoring this season at 19 points per game with the Delaware Blue Coats. He was undrafted in 2021 after spending three college seasons at Georgetown and Texas Tech. He was signed by Golden State last year but never played in a regular-season game for the Warriors, and spent a little time on USA Basketball’s World Cup qualifying team last year as well.
“Ever since the beginning, I was the underdog,” said McClung, who put on a Gate City jersey — his high school and hometown in Virginia, population 1,600 — for the final dunk. “Proving others right instead of others wrong brings a little more satisfaction.”
Philadelphia would become his third NBA team, and he hasn’t even played for the 76ers yet. He played in one game last season for the Chicago Bulls, one other game for the Los Angeles Lakers.
He has three NBA baskets.
He had four dunks on Saturday night. A guy with more dunks than actual NBA field goals might have saved the dunk contest.
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