*Slam-Dunk Contest is apart of NBA All-Star Weekend
*McClung won the the 2023 NBA Slam-Dunk Contest
*It is undetermined if McClung will go for the “three-peat”
The NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest has long been the gem of the NBA’s All-Star Weekend. From Jordan, to Dominique, to Vince Carter, some of the NBA’s greatest moments have taken place during the contest which used to be a “right-of-passage” for the best of the NBA.
Fast forward to 2024, and the landscape of the Dunk Contest looks much different.
For the second year in a row, a player from the NBA’s G-League (the NBA’s farm system) has won the star-studded contest. Osceola Magic G League guard Mac McClung retained his title at the Slam Dunk Contest with a memorable final dunk over Shaquille O’Neal.
G-League’s Matt McClung Saves NBA Dunk Contest….Again
The jewel of NBA All-Star Weekend has gone under fire in recent years for a lack of putting a product out on the floor which reached the standards of Dunk Contests-past. The NBA’s best rarely (if ever) appear in the games. The NBA’s biggest star, LeBron James, has NEVER competed in the Dunk Contest. Long ago, Kobe Byrant saw the Dunk Contest as a necessary trophy to elevate his status amongst fans & NBA brethren, but LeBron is no Kobe.
Now, the Dunk Contest rolls out rookies & the unknowns from NBA rosters around the league. Jaylen Brown’s (Boston Celtics) appearance at this year’s is one of the few times in the last decade that I can recall an actual all-star competing in the contest. That also may be why he got the benefit of the doubt from the judges with unreasonably high scores; scores which were followed by a low roar of booing fans.
With the weight of the NBA’s viewership ratings (aka King Dollar) on his shoulders, G-League’s Matt McClung did not disappoint. For his climactic dunk, McClung had Shaq wear a custom jersey from Gate City High School, McClung’s high school in southwest Virginia, featuring McClung’s own name on it.
With Shaq wearing the jersey and positioned under the hoop, McClung executed a dunk over the legendary center, securing a perfect score of 50 from all judges. To clinch the dunk contest victory against Jaylen Brown, McClung required a minimum score of 49.1.
With that, the G-League “Rookie of the Year” bailed out the NBA All-Star Weekend again.
As for McClung’s participation in next year’s contest and the possibility of achieving a three-peat, he mentioned to TNT’s Allie LaForce that he was undecided but hinted at the possibility with a “never say never.”
