Go figure. A guy with all of 2 professional games under his belt wins the NBA Slam Dunk competition. Welcome to the show Max McClung.
McClung, playing on a two-way contract with Philadelphia 76ers and Delaware Blue Coats of the G-League, stunned the basketball world by winning the NBA Slam Dunk contest Saturday night in Utah.
Mac McClung with the first 50 of the 2023 Dunk contest.
Incredible. pic.twitter.com/5jWuYDfzOI
— NBA World (@NBAW0RLD24) February 19, 2023
McClung stole the show by making three dunks the judges had never seen before. He scored a perfect 50, 49.8, 50, and 50 landing all four on the first try.
MAC MCCLUNG 😱 pic.twitter.com/Cfp8xLqYaH
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 19, 2023
McClung was a high school phenom out of Virginia and was known for his dunking ability as a sophomore in high school. He went to Georgetown for two years and transferred to Texas Tech for one season before declaring for the NBA. He was undrafted but signed with the South Bay Lakers in the G League, was released then signed with the Chicago Bulls and played two games with them. Again he was released and rejoined the Lakers, where he earned the 2022 G League Rookie of the Year award
This season he was on the Warriors Summer League team but was released before the start of campaign. That led him to Philadelphia by way of the G-League Delaware Blue Coats, where he waited until Wednesday to get a two-way contract with the big league club.
You can count Hall of Famer Magic Johnson among those who were impressed by McClung’s performance:
Mac McClung has personally saved the slam dunk contest with his performance tonight!! He put on a show! 🔥🔥🔥
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) February 19, 2023
In case you’re wondering, Mac McClung is the second white player to win the dunk contest. Brent Barry won it in 1996. McClung edged out New Orleans Pelicans Trey Murphy in the finals.
Three-Point Victory for Lillard
Damian Lillard of the Portland Trailblazers won the 3-point shooting competition besting a field that included five All-Stars. Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield, Boston’s Jayson Tatum, and New York’s Julius Randle were among the competitors. Lillard made 26 shots to finish one shot ahead of Hield.
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