The third participant confirmed to be taking part in the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest in Salt Lake City next month isn’t an NBA player, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), who reports that G League guard Mac McClung has accepted an invitation to the event.
Assuming he doesn’t get called up to the NBA within the next month or so, McClung will be the first G League player to compete in the dunk contest, according to Charania. The 24-year-old is currently playing for the Delaware Blue Coats, the Sixers‘ NBAGL affiliate.
McClung does have a little NBA experience, having signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Bulls in 2021/22 and then a two-way contract with the Lakers during the final days of the regular season. The 6’2″ guard appeared in one game for each team and finished off the Lakers’ season by emphatically throwing down a double-clutch reverse dunk (YouTube video link).
The Warriors signed McClung to a training camp deal this past summer, but waived him during the preseason.
McClung joins Trail Blazers rookie Shaedon Sharpe and Rockets forward Kenyon Martin Jr. as the dunk contest participants who have been reported so far. The event will take place on Saturday, February 18 in Utah.
I simply can’t imagine caring about the slam dunk contest.
This aint the 80s.
Dam call it at this point
The NBA dunk contest has become a joke these past couple years. The allstar game has become a saturday night cookout. The NBA is only trying to appeal to specific audiences. There should be put incentives in the NBA allstar game like each player on the winning team gets an extra million dollars, something like that, to make the game more interesting. Have more in-division games. Get rid of East vs West in regular season. This whole Team Lebron vs any other player’s team has been a terrible idea since the start, make it east vs west like how it used to be. For the performers, why not get a diverse cast of American performers, diversity for some reason to the NBA means all black. I would like some music that most normal people could understand what the performer is saying
Lol team Durant and his injuries when captain
“Get rid of East vs West in regular season.”
I never understood it in the MLB and I don’t get why you would want to introduce it to the NBA. What is the appeal in making it so that you virtually never play half the league?
@wagner13 In conference games affect both teams playoff standings, playing out of the confernce doesn’t do much for you. Also playing dif conference games will not help in the playoffs
East vs. West in MLB??? What are you babbling about? Of course you don’t understand it, it doesn’t exist.
Before you jump down my throat, perhaps I should clarify.
Previously, interleague play in MLB was not conducted during the regular season. This is analogous to the idea of the Eastern and Western conferences not playing one another during the NBA regular season
There is one difference that might make things clearer. MLB really hasn’t been around that long. Until 2000, the AL and NL were two separate leagues. They mostly operated on their own.
I’m aware, but there are some baseball purists that insist the MLB should go back to having the AL and NL never play one another in the regular season. I disagree on this front and likewise do not wish to see the NBA treat the East and the West this way
@Wagner13 Exactly, Im what you would called a baseball purists. Other than the MLB making more money, it makes no sense for NL vs AL games
It makes sense for fans who want to see how their team matches up against other teams across the league. If this proposal were to come to fruition, it would mean no LeBron-Durant or Jokic-Embiid matchups, for instance. Just less fun IMO
Besides, there are still more intraconference/league games than not as it currently stands
AL-NL, but that argument doesn’t track. They used two leagues and had beef. There’s a reason they’ve mostly been distinct in the past.
Add Jalen Lecque from the Gleague as well.. you won’t be disappointed! YouTube his dunks in the Gleague
For most athletes this is an event to get embarrassed and if you win who cares? Why would any big name athletes want to do this?
Fire silver