INDIANAPOLIS - Michael Jordan, Jason Richardson, Nate Robinson, Zach LaVine, and now Mac McClung.
Those are the only five players to ever win back-to-back slam dunk contests during NBA All-Star Weekend after the Osceola Magic star put on another spectacular show in this year’s competition at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Like last year, when he was playing for the Delaware Blue Coats, all of his dunks were creative and showcased his incredible athleticism and spryness. He saved the best for last, too, with a reverse dunk while leaping over Shaquille O’Neal with the basketball Hall of Famer wearing McClung’s Gate City High School jersey. He needed an average score of 49.1 to win and defeat fellow finalist Jaylen Brown. He received a perfect score of 50.
“That was a shoutout to my hometown again. That’s what I did last year. I wanted to build on it,” said McClung, who was thrilled to get O’Neal involved, especially with the Orlando Magic legend having his No. 32 jersey raised to the rafters at Kia Center earlier this week. “Really, the thought I was thinking was don’t miss the dunk. I can’t a miss a dunk. I don’t usually miss…I’m glad the outcome happened the way it did.”
Dominique Wilkins, who was one of the five judges in this year’s event, and Harold Miner were also two-time dunk contest winners, but not consecutively. Robinson is the only three-time winner, prevailing in 2006, 2009 and 2010.
It’s been another memorable weekend for McClung, who’s been one of the G League’s best players this season, averaging 23.7 points on 50.4 percent overall shooting and 39.3 percent 3-point shooting through 14 regular season games for Osceola. The 6-foot-2 guard also competed in the Panini Rising Stars on a team made up of only G Leaguers. They, coached by Detlef (Schrempf), upset a team in the semifinals that included Victor Wembanyama and several other young NBA stars before losing in the final to another set of up-and-coming youngsters.
“It’s so cool, man,” McClung said about how special it was this weekend to represent the Magic organization. “I feel lucky. I don’t really know how to explain it. I’ve really enjoyed this organization. The GMs, from top to bottom, have been incredible and so hands on. They sent such a big staff just to help me, and I’m very appreciative of that.”
Mac McClung Wins the 2024 Slam Dunk Contest
In a rare instance, All-Star Paolo Banchero was part of an undercard on Saturday night.
The 21-year-old, who’s been getting praised left and right by others throughout the weekend, including Wembanyama and fellow Eastern Conference All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Bam Adebayo, competed in the 2024 Kia Skills Challenge.
Banchero was part of a team that also included fellow No. 1 overall draft picks Anthony Edwards and Wembanyama. Although his squad didn’t win the event, which tested each participant’s dribbling, passing and shooting, the Orlando Magic forward enjoyed the experience.
“All of us is next up in the league, and this is a chance for us to get ourselves in front of the world and show what we can do,” said Banchero, who also participated in the skills challenge as a rookie, although last year’s event had different rules and a much different format.
The winners of the competition were a trio of Indiana Pacers (Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner and Bennedict Mathurin). The other team was made up of a trio of All-Stars (Tyrese Maxey, Trae Young and Scottie Barnes).
Friday night, following the Panini Rising Stars, Wembanyama said he thinks Banchero is underrated and not talked about enough. While Banchero isn’t after the spotlight, he admits that sometimes through his journey he has felt a bit snubbed. Perhaps that’s starting to change, however, with him now an All-Star and the leader of a team that is 30-25 and right there in the playoff mix.
“I still went No. 1, (won) Rookie of the Year, so I can’t complain too much,” he said. “As a competitor, as a player, you do always feel slighted in a way sometimes. But I don’t let it get to my head too much. I try to go out there and put on a show every night.”
Tatum, who first got to know Banchero when the now Magic forward was at Duke, has been extremely impressed by what he’s seen from him.
“He’s just a great person, great kid, works extremely hard,” the Boston Celtics five-time All-Star said. “Obviously, only in his second year and already an All-Star. So, the work is there, the talent is there for sure. So, I’m excited to see where he takes it. (I) couldn’t be happier for him. This is only the beginning for him.”
Adebayo spoke similarly about Banchero, adding in that, from what he’s seen, Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley is making a big difference on Banchero’s development and confidence.
“Paolo has a lot of talent, and he’s got a coach that’s giving him no restrictions,” the Miami Heat three-time All-Star said. “He wants him to explore his game. He wants him to be aggressive. He wants him to play hard, and he wants him to figure out how to win on his own with help along the way. He’s going to be a great one. He’s going to be a great leader for his team and a great player in this league.”
Among the many interesting things Banchero said during his talk with media was that his favorite moment of a game is seeing who the other team decides to have defend him right after the opening tip. Obviously, with him being a No. 1 option on the Magic, the game’s top defenders are placed in front of him on a nightly basis. But also, he has to face double teams, triple teams and blitzes throughout games.
Banchero will have another opportunity to showcase his skills on a grand stage on Sunday in his first NBA All-Star Game appearance.