Who is Mac McClung, the first-ever G League player to participate in the NBA dunk contest?
[Editor’s note: Since we first published this before the Slam Dunk Contest, McClung signed a two-way deal with the Sixers.]
Back when he was still in high school, Mac McClung went viral on the internet for his dunking highlights.
Popular video titles on YouTube described him as the “most exciting” player in America and the “most epic” high school dunker ever. Others wondered if he had the “most bounce” in the nation.
The 6-foot-2 guard from Gate City, Virginia was one of the top recruits in the state coming out of high school. Soon, he will have a chance to recapture the attention of basketball fans around the world when he competes in the 2023 NBA Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend in Utah:
Mac McClung – the athletic 6-foot-2 guard playing for G League’s Delaware Blue Coats – has accepted an invitation to be in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
McClung will be the first ever G League player in the NBA dunk contest.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 13, 2023
McClung recorded 12 dunks during his three seasons of college basketball. After transferring from Georgetown to Texas Tech, he recorded a 43.5-inch max vertical, which would be seventh-best in league history.
The guard became an undrafted free agent who played in summer league for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021. He also played in the G League for the Lakers, becoming the 2021-22 G League Rookie of the Year, before signing a 10-day contract with the Bulls.
McClung was later re-acquired by the Lakers and he logged 22 minutes on the court during the final game of the season. He scored 8 points in the NBA during his appearances with the Bulls and Lakers last season.
Of his three baskets, one of them was a dunk. He threw down a running, reverse dunk on a leak out in transition during an overtime victory for the Lakers:
McClung played in summer league for the Warriors in 2022 and later joined the Delaware Blue Coats, the G League affiliate for the Philadelphia 76ers.
He has made 12 dunks across 18 games in the G League so far this season for the Blue Coats, per Synergy.
Although he is not the most prolific in-game dunker among all players in the G League, there is a chance he can impress the judges with exciting theatrics and vertical pop during the contest.