NBA

Who Is Mac McClung? Meet The Two-Time Slam Dunk Contest Champion

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Anthony Cardenas
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Anthony Cardenas Sports Editor

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Published15 Feb 2025

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Long gone are the days when superstar NBA players competed in the Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend. In recent years, the field has consisted of lesser-known players looking to make a name for themselves, with two-way contract player Mac McClung being the face of that movement.

McClung Looking For Third-Straight Slam Dunk Contest Title

McClung is back in the competition for a third straight year, and looking to come out as champion again, as he has the first two times. After narrowly edging out Trey Murphy III in 2023, he topped Jaylen Brown and Jaime Jaquez last year in order to take home the hardware. But why is the two-time Slam Dunk Contest winner such an unknown player in the eyes of more casual NBA fans?

It is probably because he’s played in a total of five games in his four-year professional basketball career. After playing for Georgetown and Texas Tech during his college days, McClung went undrafted in 2021 before joining the Los Angeles Lakers for Summer League that year. He was assigned to the G League in the fall, eventually being signed to two 10-day contracts with the Chicago Bulls.

McClung made his NBA debut in December 2021, which consisted of 2.5 minutes for the Bulls in a game against the Atlanta Hawks. He scored two points while attempting just a single shot. He then signed a two-way contract to finish out his rookie season with the Lakers, and played in one late-season game for Los Angeles.

His next stop was with the Philadelphia 76ers G League affiliate, which was the team he represented when he became the first G League player to ever be selected to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest in 2023. He wound up winning the event, making a name for himself while having played a grand total of 2 games in the NBA. He would be invited back the next season, this time as a member of the Orlando Magic organization, and became the first back-to-back winner of the event since Zach LaVine ins 2015 & 2016.

McClung Has Played In Just 5 NBA Games In His Career

Despite his flashes of fame in mid-February over the past few years, Mac McClung has failed to much more in his NBA career. He was named the G League Rookie of the Year in 2022, and then voted as the overall MVP two years later by leading the league in scoring. But he still has managed to play in just one game at the upper level since the 2022-23 season, which actually came at the start of the current campaign. The Magic had him play just shy of five minutes in their third game of the 2024-25 season, but McClung failed to score or even attempt a shot.

Even though his playing time in the NBA has been limited, McClung might be the most recognizable name in this year’s Slam Dunk Contest. The rest of the field consists of Matas Buzelis (Bulls), Stephon Castle (Spurs), and Andre Jackson Jr (Bucks), Castle is the only one of the bunch that is averaging more than 10 points per game this season, while Buzelis and Jackson Jr. put up fewer than 7 points per game each.

According to the oddsmakers, McClung is easily the favorite heading into the competition. He is listed at -225, with Jackon Jr. being second on the board at +550. Buzelis and Castle are both sitting with designations of +750.