On February 15th, Orlando Magic G-Leaguer Mac McClung won the 2025 AT&T Slam Dunk Contest, making him the first player in NBA history to win the competition three years in a row.
McClung scored a 50 on both of his final-round dunks to beat out San Antonio Spurs rookie Stephon Castle for the victory.
Shortly after the Dunk Contest concluded, Memphis Grizzlies guard and two-time All-Star Ja Morant took to social media to express how he might be interested in participating in the next year’s contest, simply stating, “Mac might make me decide to dunk.” Morant wasn’t the only player excited about partaking in the competition. Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo promised to join Morant if he participated next year.
If you do it. I’ll do it with you 💯 https://t.co/dsKglTiTca
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) February 16, 2025
A current or former NBA All-Star has not won the dunk contest since Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell did it in 2018 while playing for the Utah Jazz.
The Slam Dunk Contest needs better players
What Mac McClung has done in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest is truly remarkable. To three-peat in any sporting event is impressive! At the same time though, who cares?
Do you know how many NBA games Mac McClung has played since joining the league as an undrafted free agent in 2021? Five. Two games during the 2021-22 season, two games during the 2022-23 season, and one game this season. It’s kind of silly that the supposed “best dunker in the NBA” doesn’t actually play all that much in the National Basketball Association.
Mac McClung is a gimmick player who is only elevated to starting rosters so that he can participate in the NBA’s All-Star Weekend. After that, the combo guard gets sent back down to the G-League.
Do we think Mac McClung is the best dunker in the NBA? I am sorry, but there is no way in Hell that an undrafted 6’2″, 185 lbs. guard is the best dunker in the best basketball league in the world. I am calling B.S. I’ve watched LeBron’s whole career. I’ve watched Giannis transform into one of the best athletes on the planet. I saw what Ja Morant did in the first round of the 2022 Western Conference Playoffs. Mac McClung is NOT a better dunker than those three guys.
Let’s go down the list of guys who McClung beat in the 2025 Slam Dunk Contest. Andre Jackson Jr.: a rotational player who averages three points per game in his career. Matas Buzelis: who? Stephon Castle: a 20-year-old rookie playing in one of the league’s smallest markets.
It’s no secret that the NBA has been losing viewers in recent years. A quick way to solve that is by adding superstars to major events, like the NBA Dunk Contest. I would much rather see Ja or Giannis in the dunk contest than watch Mac McClung try to win a fourth consecutive championship before being sent back down to the G-League.
It’s too late in his career, but could you imagine the hype around the Slam Dunk contest if LeBron James had participated in the 2000s or the 2010s? What if LeBron took part, made it to the finals, and went head-to-head with Dwight Howard or Blake Griffin? If that had ever happened, we would probably still be talking about it as the greatest Slam Dunk Contest in NBA history.
For now, Mac McClung is the first NBAer to ever three-peat in the Dunk Contest. I just hope that we get some bonafide superstars in next year’s competition.
