NBA Dunk Contest champ Mac McClung could have ended up in Fenerbahce / News - Basketnews.com

Mac McClung could have penned a million-dollar deal with Fenerbahce last summer.

Credit: AP-Scanpix Credit AP-Scanpix

2023 NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner Mac McClung could have made over a million dollars playing either for Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (Turkey) or the Shanghai Sharks (China), according to Rich Hofmann of The Athletic.

Mac McClung

Team:Philadelphia 76ersPosition:PGAge:24Height:188 cmWeight:83 kgBirth place:Virginia, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

However, the American high-flyer passed on the opportunity to play in Europe last summer.

He chose to make less than six figures in the G League due to an easier path to fulfill his NBA dream.

It was during a conversation with Zac Ervin, a close friend from Gate City, that McClung realized he was going to stay in the United States.

"I still believe going to a Fenerbahce also can propel your career back here in the NBA. So I'm not taking that out of the picture at all," McClung told Hofmann. "When you have multiple million-dollar offers, you're like, 'That could change my life and my family's life forever.' So I wanted to take that into consideration. But (Ervin) called me and was like, 'Mac, you're all or nothing, man.' "

Six of Fenerbahce's top eight scorers are American, including former college stars Johnathan Motley (Baylor) Nigel Hayes-Davis (Wisconsin), Carsen Edwards (Purdue), and Nick Calathes and Scottie Wilbekin, both former Florida Gators.

McClung's star was born on Saturday night, during the 2023 NBA Dunk Contest. The 24-year-old guard executed perfect 50s on all but one of his dunks to win over Trey Murphy III of the New Orleans Pelicans.

McClung, who's currently playing with the 76ers' G League affiliate team, has only four games of NBA experience. He has spent more time in the G-League, currently with the Delaware Blue Hens, and previously with the South Bay Lakers, where he was the league's rookie of the year.

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