Mac McClung Makes Sixers History Winning NBA's Slam Dunk Contest
Philadelphia 76ers two-way guard Mac McClung has been crowned the NBA’s 2023 Slam Dunk Champion. In a contest with three other candidates, including New York Knicks’ Jericho Sims, New Orleans Pelicans’ Trey Murphy III, and Houston Rockets’ Kenyon Martin Jr., McClung took home the title and set social media on fire with several outstanding dunks.
In his first attempt, McClung jumped over two people while snatching the ball in mid-air before tapping the backboard and reverse-slamming the ball in the hoop. He started off with a bang and picked up a perfect score of 50.
Although McClung’s second dunk in the first round didn’t earn him a perfect score again, he still had the edge over the competition scoring a round-high of 49.8. McClung finished the first round in the lead with a score of 99.8.
Just two dunkers would advance to the second and final round. McClung was joined by Trey Murphy III.
For his third and fourth attempts, McClung was perfect. On both of his final dunks, McClung received tens all across the board, with two scores of 50. Meanwhile, Murphy III wrapped up his second round with a composite score of 99.
For the first time in franchise history, a Sixers player won the dunk contest. Going into the contest, McClung was the eighth player in Sixers' history to participate in the contest, joining Julius Erving, Shelton Jones, Clarence Weatherspoon, Tim Perry, Jerry Stackhouse, Larry Hughes, and Andre Iguodala.
McClung makes 76ers history during his first week with the team, as he’s the first to take the hardware home. So far, McClung’s All-Star weekend in Utah has been a major success. Not only did he stand out in the NBA’s Rising Stars Game, where he scored a team-high of ten points in his matchup, but now McClung is the league’s Slam Dunk Champion, leaving the event with a near-perfect score.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.