Mac McClung makes history, wins Slam Dunk Contest with near-perfect score / News - Basketnews.com

Sixers G League player Mac McClung won the Slam Dunk Contest executing a perfect 360-degree dunk in his final attempt.

Credit: USA Today Sports-Scanpix Credit USA Today Sports-Scanpix

Mac McClung executed perfect 50s on all but one of his dunks to win over Trey Murphy III of the Pelicans to win the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest.

Mac McClung

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

McClung, who's currently playing with the Sixers' 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.

But he didn’t stick with the Lakers, or the Warriors, who invited him to camp. McClung says he realizes he needs to improve his ball handling, which is the only barrier keeping him from the league.

In his final dunk, McClung delivered a 360-degree plus, going 360 plus a few more degrees in an added reversal, that earned him a hug from Dominique Wilkins, a two-time dunk contest winner and one of the judges.

For that dunk, McClung wore his high school jersey; he broke Allen Iverson’s Virginia scoring record at Gate City High.

He recorded a 43 1/2 inch vertical leap at the 2021 NBA Combine, and became a YouTube sensation from his dunks in high school. He’s the first G-Leaguer to participate in the contest. And he’s also enjoying a solid season in the G-League, averaging 19.1 points, 4.7 assists, 2.7 rebounds in 18 games, shooting 50% from beyond the 3-point line.

McClung won the dunk crowd from the start with a perfect score when he dunked over two friends, tapping the backboard along the way.

The other contestants in the four-player field were KJ Martin of the Rockets and Jericho Sims of the Knicks, who were eliminated in the preliminaries.

The judges were Wilkins and another two-time champ, Harold Miner, along with Lisa Leslie, Karl Malone and Jamal Crawford. The trophy was awarded by Julius Erving, the first dunk champion, and named after him.

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