After leaping over a car, eyeing down the hoop, and crushing his opponents, Mac McClung has now entered the NBA history books.
On Saturday, February 15th, the bouncy point guard lifted a third consecutive NBA Slam Dunk title, becoming the first baller to do so.
From the moment McClung threw down his first of four straight perfect scores, the result was in no doubt.
Standing at just 6’2” or 188cm, McClung is no Big Mac. The game of basketball is inhabited by giants, and in a dunk competition, where the athletes are required to rise above the rim (which stands 10 feet from the floor) and flush the ball in the most acrobatic and ruthless of fashion, the Gate City, VA native is always the odd man out.
The 26-year-old opened his account with a two-hand reverse dunk over a car that earned him a perfect 50, leaving first-time participants Matas Buzelis, Stephon Castle, and Andre Jackson Jr. in his dust.
MAC MCCLUNG DID WHAT? 🚗
⭐️ Catch all the #NBAAllStar action on NBA League Pass 👉 https://t.co/Yjf8R0DJsq#NBAHighlights pic.twitter.com/gyUpG9jE99
— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) February 16, 2025
McClung, technically a bench warmer for Orlando Magic but currently earning his paycheck for the franchise’s G League affiliate Osceola Magic, made even more fans with his decision to donate his prize, a Kia K5, to a charity in his hometown.
He’s not the first athlete to win the Dunk Contest on three occasions. Former New York Knicks point guard and fellow “shortie” Nate Robinson won in 2006, 2009 and 2010. Robinson stands at only 5’9” or 1.75cm.
The 2025 AT&T Slam Dunk Contest was part of the All-Star weekend, presented this year at the Chase Center, San Francisco, with the centrepiece, the All-Star Game, tipping off at 11am (AEST) on Monday, February 17th.
LeBron James was a late scratch, withdrawing from the game due to ongoing ankle and foot discomfort, marking the end of his 20-year streak of All-Star starts.
