The NBA Dunk Contest is one of the most looked-forward-to events during All-Star Weekend. Although in the past few years, there are arguments that the event has lost its way. More specifically, the scoring from judges, the creativity of the dunks, and the participants. The 2022 NBA Slam Dunk contest was widely criticized throughout the league and on social media. Longtime analyst Stephen A. Smith for ESPN called the 2022 NBA Dunk Contest the
“Worst dunk contest in the history of basketball”
Moreover, the Dunk Contest viewership has dropped and some argue if it’s really worth watching. The NBA looks to fix that problem by bringing outside help from G League player
Mac McClung
from the
Delaware Bluecoats. McClung will be the first G League player to enter the Dunk Contest.
Stars Don’t Participate Anymore
The Slam Dunk Contest in its history used to have participants who were stars around the league including
Shawn Kemp,
Clyde Drexler,
Dominique Wilkins,
Dwight Howard,
Kobe Bryant,
Vince Carter
and even the great
Michael Jordan. Although, over the past decade the contest does not see the same star power that it once was. This is not necessarily saying that in that time the dunk contest hasn’t been as great, but as seen last year something needs to change. Some call for players such as
Ja Morant
or
Zion Williamson
to participate. Though every NBA fan will be in love with that idea, who knows if that will actually happen. It is great that the league gives other players the opportunity to show off their athleticism and showmanship. As mentioned, the NBA is taking another approach by bringing McClung from the G League who has a long history of dunking.
McClung to the Rescue
Alex Nahorniak-Svenski/NBAE via Getty Images
McClung has only appeared in two NBA games but was awarded G League’s Rookie of the Year when he played for the
South Bay Lakers
in 2021. McClung might not be a star, but is a star when it comes to dunking. He is widely known for his electric highlights. In high school, McClung was a human highlight real and a youtube sensation. He has multiple highlight mixtapes from huge organizations such as Ballislife and Overtime.
Ballislife in 2020 ranked McClung as the fourth-best high school dunker of the decade. He ranked higher than past NBA Dunk Contest winners including
Zach Lavine
(2015, 2016) and
Hamidou Diallo
(2019). MacClung ranked one spot behind 2020 dunk contest winner
Derrick Jones Jr.
as well. McClung also won the
2018 Ballislife All-American Slam Dunk Contest.
Last year, McClung performed an emphatic reverse dunk in the
Los Angeles Lakers
last game of the season in the final seconds of a 146-141 overtime win versus the
Denver Nuggets.
In the words of
Kenny “The Jet” Smith, expect to hear “It’s over ladies and gentlemen” after McClung’s performance at the contest. Dunking is part of McClung’s identity and his showmanship will bring life back to the Slam Dunk Contest once again
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