Source: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty
Once the contestants of the Dunk contest were named — Trey Murphy III, Kenyon Martin Jr., Jericho Sims, and Mac McClung— fans complained that no well-known players were taking part.
However, it proved for one player, in particular, to make sure he used his time in the spotlight to enter the NBA history books.
Enter Mac McClung, a
Philadelphia 76er on a two-way contract that’s only played two games in the NBA after stepping up from the G-League.
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In the first round of the Dunk contest, he started with a bang by scoring a 50 for hopping over a friend sitting on another friend’s shoulders and tapping the ball in the backboard before dunking it.
He didn’t disappoint with his second dunk, as he did 360 before finishing at the rim with two hands.
For the third round, he grabbed the ball from above a friend’s head, leading to a double pump reverse dunk.
Then, to ensure he brought home the trophy, McClung put on his Gate City high school jersey and did a 540-degree two-handed dunk.
After he was presented the trophy by Julius “Dr. J” Erving, he spoke about the contest’s history.
“I loved Vince Carter. Just watching the Zach LaVine & Aaron Gordon Dunk Contest was just something I enjoyed so much. I said, ‘If I get to be a part of this one day, I hope to make an impact like those guys,’” he said.
McClung’s dunking skills aren’t new to people who remember his viral hoop mixtapes from 2018 when his skills helped him
break Allen Iverson’s Virginia single-season scoring record.
After graduating, he played at Georgetown until 2020, when he transferred to Texas Tech to play for a year. Then, he entered the transfer portal again while simultaneously declaring for the 2021 draft. Although he went undrafted, he eventually joined the Los Angeles Lakers summer league but was waived in October after signing with the team. He then took his talents to the Lakers G-league team before a 10-day contract with the Chicago Bulls, its G-League affiliate, and even named 021–22 G-League Rookie of the Year.
See how Twitter hilariously reacted to his dunk contest win below:
