Image via Kyle Terada – USA TODAY Sports

By: SeMaj Musco, Contributing Writer

INDIANAPOLIS – The NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest was stolen again by G League guard Mac McClung, becoming the fifth player to win back-to-back dunk contests and the first to do it since Chicago Bulls guard Zach Lavine did in 2015 and 2016. McClung plays for the Osceola Magic, the G League affiliate for the NBA’s Orlando Magic franchise.

The 6-foot-2-inch McClung mesmerized the crowd when he began the event with a dunk that had never been done before in the NBA contest, as he promised leading up to the competition. McClung jumped over a volunteer holding the ball behind his head and tossed the ball up to himself before flushing it down with a reverse two-handed dunk. The resounding awe and amazement from the crowd at the dunk, however, quickly turned to a sea of boos directed at the judges as the crowd reacted to his score of 48, which many fans deemed a robbery. 

McClung followed the never-before-seen dunk with an impressive up-and-under reverse windmill dunk. The combination of scores allowed him to proceed to the final round, where he faced NBA All-Star and Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown for the opportunity to retain McClung’s title of best dunker in the NBA. 

In the final round, McClung started with a bang, this time upping the ante by jumping over two stacked people and windmilling the ball for a powerful one-handed slam. For his final dunk, McClung brought NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal out from the crowd. With O’Neal draped in McClung’s high school basketball jersey, McClung jumped over the 7-foot-1-inch giant, easily clearing him on a reverse two-handed jam. The crowd exploded at the made dunk, and the judges agreed with the crowd reaction, awarding McClung the only perfect 50 for the night and the win.

“I’m honored,” McClung said of his victory to TNT’s Allie LaForce. “I had a lot of help with Chuck and all my friends taking late night calls they didn’t want to take, but it’s an honor to be here right now.”

While McClung wowed the crowd, the contest was marked by the fan reaction on social media, with most saying they were disappointed with the contest and in particular second-place winner Jaylen Brown. Brown peaked as high as the No. 1 trending topic on X as fans ripped his performance and the scoring decisions from the judges. After the game, Brown seemed unbothered by the negative reactions.

“In this media era, some players are just afraid to get turned into a meme or whatever,” Brown said to Forbes Sports’ Shane Young. “I wanted to come out and have fun within it and that’s what I did.”

After his performance in the past two contests, many fans are asking for a McClung three-peat, but the guard has not yet committed to defending his title at the 2025 All-Star Weekend. If he competes next year, McClung would have the opportunity to join former New York Knicks point guard Nate Robinson as the only players in NBA history to win three separate dunk contests and would become the only athlete to ever three-peat in the competition.

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