SAN FRANCISCO — Mac McClung is letting others determine his place in the history of dunking, but his recent performance at the NBA All-Star Saturday night has solidified his status in the dunk contest realm. The G League standout delivered an extraordinary showcase, securing perfect scores of 50 on each of his four impressive dunks, achieving a unique milestone as he became the first player to clinch three consecutive dunk contest titles.
“I kind of feel like it’s just a blur,” McClung expressed following his victory. “It’s something that I truly enjoy. My creativity shines through because I genuinely love this contest and I love to dunk.”
Previously, the only player to match McClung’s three titles was Nate Robinson, who won the contest in 2006 and repeated his success in 2009 and 2010.
In the finals, McClung needed to produce nearly flawless dunks to overcome San Antonio’s Stephon Castle, who had already recorded a high score of 49.6 before stunning the audience with a perfect 50 on his next dunk that featured an impressive behind-the-back move before the slam.
McClung’s final dunk was a spectacular feat; he had 6-foot-11 Evan Mobley positioned on a platform close to the basket. McClung soared over Mobley, tapped the rim with the ball, and completed the dunk, thrilling the crowd and judges alike.
His mesmerizing display has caught the attention of NBA stars such as Ja Morant and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who have expressed interest in participating in the dunk contest to face off against McClung.
“I believe the contest is a beautiful phenomenon,” McClung remarked. “I understand that many fans desire to see bigger stars participate, which I would love as well. I think it’s essential that the contenders genuinely want to be involved. This contest holds a unique charm that everyone cherishes.”
In his first round’s initial dunk, McClung showcased his flair by performing a windmill dunk using his right hand while executing another slam with his left hand, all while propelling himself in midair.
During the opening round, he also delivered two perfect scores. For one of his dunks, a car was parked in the lane with a participant emerging from the sunroof holding a basketball. McClung vaulted over the car, grabbed the ball, and executed a reverse dunk behind his head, which left the audience in awe and garnered him a score of 50.
Despite having already secured a place in the finals, his next dunk—a twisting, no-look finish over a person holding a ball—earned applause from baseball legend Barry Bonds, resulting in yet another perfect score.
McClung revealed that he invested eight to nine months training for this contest and is uncertain about attempting a fourth consecutive title. “I never want to say never, but this one really took a lot out of me,” he admitted.
Castle advanced with more traditional but effective dunks, amassing a total scoring of 95. Other competitors, including Chicago’s Matas Buzelis and Milwaukee’s Andre Jackson Jr., were unable to proceed past the first round.
In the 3-point contest, Miami’s Tyler Herro edged out Golden State’s Buddy Hield to secure the title. Damian Lillard fell short in his bid to join the ranks of Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as a three-time 3-point champion, finishing with a total of 18 points, just shy of Herro’s score.
Herro rebounded from a third-place finish in the earlier rounds, leading the final round with an impressive tally of 24 points. He made both special shots valued at three points and successfully scored three of the five available points from the money-ball rack.
Hield initially dominated the opening round with an impressive score of 31 points but struggled early in the final, missing his first six attempts before regaining his rhythm to captivate the home crowd. He had a chance to win in the end by shooting six consecutive money balls but finished with 23 points after missing one shot.
“I’m just happy, enjoying the moment,” Herro said. “I was definitely nervous heading into the first round. I thought I shot well in the second round; Buddy had his chance to tie it at the end. It was a fantastic competition with a group of excellent shooters.”
Darius Garland finished third with a score of 19 in the final round. Participants Brooklyn’s Cam Johnson, Norman Powell of the Clippers, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, and New York’s Jalen Brunson did not advance beyond the first round.
In the Skills Challenge, the Cleveland duo of Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell triumphed over local talents Moses Moody and Draymond Green. The match concluded the first round after San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul were disqualified for attempting to circumvent the contest rules during the obstacle course, which includes a variety of shooting and passing drills.
Mobley and Mitchell finished the final round with a time of 1 minute, 0.3 seconds. Mobley’s performance was notably smooth, as both made short work of their shots from three locations on the court.
“It truly was enjoyable,” Mobley reflected, recalling his participation in the previous winning event in 2022. “I felt just a little rusty at first but found the rhythm in the second round.”
Golden State’s Moody progressed to the finals, but Green struggled, failing to complete several passing attempts before time elapsed. Wembanyama and Paul faced vocal disapproval from the crowd during their round, ultimately leading to their disqualification for lack of genuine effort.
“We tried a strategy we thought could succeed,” Paul commented. “We wanted to see if we could achieve the best time, so it was fun.”
The rookie pairing of Zaccharie Risacher from Atlanta and Washington’s Alex Sarr also didn’t make it past the initial stage of the competition.
