Magic two-way guard Mac McClung has committed to taking part in the 2025 Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star weekend in San Francisco, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.
McClung, who previously said he was undecided about accepting an invite to participate in this year’s dunk contest, will fill out a four-player field that also includes Bucks wing Andre Jackson, Bulls forward, Matas Buzelis, and Spurs guard Stephon Castle.
McClung has won each of the past two dunk contests and will be looking to become the first player since the event’s inception in 1984 to three-peat. Nate Robinson, who came out on top in 2006, 2009, and 2010, is the only player to win the dunk contest more than twice.
Known for his explosiveness and highlight-reel finishes, McClung was invited to compete in the dunk contest in 2023 and 2024 despite not being on an NBA roster in either instance (he ended up signing a two-way contract with Philadelphia about a week before the ’23 contest). This time around, he’s under contract with the Magic, though he hasn’t seen much action at the NBA level for Orlando this season, logging just five minutes in a single appearance back in October.
McClung continues to make an impact in the G League, averaging 20.2 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.5 rebounds in 32.5 minutes per game across 24 outings for the Osceola Magic. However, his shooting numbers have dropped off this season — the reigning NBAGL Most Valuable Player is making just 30.1% of his three-point attempts after hitting at least 38.0% in each of the previous three years.
This year’s dunk contest will take place on Saturday, February 15.
This is the biggest joke. Why even have a dunk contest if you’re not going to only have real actual NBA players competing???
Don’t be mad dog. Go Mac!
Yippeeeee
It aint a contest if the defending champ doesn’t return…
That’s half the reason the dunk contest got to where it is…
Most players just see it as a way to get their name out there… But with social media it’s changed the level of that need… Vince Carter had to do it because of the media landscape and being a Raptor…
So now we get the lesser known players in the dunk contest because they’re the ones who need to try to get their name out there still…
Transparency: I haven’t watched the Dunk Contest in a long time…
Question: Seems like they have to scramble to get a whopping four participants. Are the fans as uninterested in the contest as the players seem to be?
How does one measure the interest level of the fans and players? Is two weeks a “scramble”?
I like this group and will be watching.
The dunk contest will be a snooze fest like the rest of All-Star weekend has become.
How has no one in the league front office not made sure Shaedon Sharpe is part of the dunk contest?