Mac McClung to compete in NBA Slam Dunk Contest for third-straight year

Mac McClung to compete in NBA Slam Dunk Contest for third-straight year

Back-to-back Slam Dunk champion Mac McClung is looking for a three-peat!

ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported Monday that the Orlando Magic two-way guard will be rounding out the four-player competition, which will be held on Feb. 15 in San Francisco, Calif.

McClung aims for his third straight Slam Dunk Title in a field that will include rookies Stephon Castle and Matas Buzelis plus Andre Jackson Jr.

It’s a porous field by the competition’s standards, but All-Star weekend has also been a laughingstock throughout the league. McClung has made the competition somewhat exciting, however. Look at all of his eight dunks from each of the last two years–the bar is low, but he’s one of the only to exceed said bar.

Long gone are the days of Zach LaVine, Derrick Jones Jr. and Aaron Gordon putting together electric performances in perhaps the weekend’s most-anticipated event. That’s no longer the case anymore; the best part of the weekend is the end because it’s over.

McClung, 26, has played in just one game for the Orlando Magic this season, tallying just two assists and one rebound in five minutes. He was the 2023-24 G-League MVP, posting 24.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.4 steals in 28 games for the Osceola Magic, shooting 51.5 percent from the floor, 39.6 percent from 3-point range and 84.1 percent from the free-throw line.

While Castle, Buzelis and Jackson are all high flyers, it’s McClung’s award to lose. At this point, the league should consider hiring actual professional dunkers for the event. But that’s a different discussion for a different day.

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