Sixers’ Mac McClung wins NBA Slam Dunk contest and captures hearts with all-time performance

SALT LAKE CITY — Mac McClung put on another show.

One night after shining in the Jordan Rising Stars, the 76ers two-way guard stood out in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest as part of the NBA All-Star Weekend.

McClung won the event to conclude All-Star Saturday Night at Vivint Arena. He defeated the New Orleans Pelicans’ Trey Murphy III with two perfect-score dunks.

Now, the basketball world knows all about the guy from Gate City, a town with a population of 2,030 in Southwest Virginia.

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“Just a lot of gratitude,” McClung said. “It’s really a blur, to be honest with you. I think probably a lot of stuff is happening on the internet and everything. I haven’t checked, but I’m really grateful.”

Jumping over two people, double-clutching, and pulling off a 540-degree reverse slam, McClung’s performance might have saved this competition. And he could be on his way to becoming a household name.

“I don’t know if that’s true,” McClung said. “I appreciate you saying that. Just a lot of gratitude. I had so much help [from his two friends who served as props] and all my friends. A lot of it was their help, to be honest with you.”

On McClung’s first attempt in the finals, he took the ball from a friend standing underneath the basket while leaping in the air. McClung double-pumped before dunking for a perfect score of 50. On his second dunk, McClung scored another 50 with his 540 dunk while donning his Gate City High School jersey. Afterward, he motioned across his chest, signaling the competition was over.

“I think something took over me,” McClung said of his reaction. “I don’t know what that was. I wasn’t really thinking in the moment. It was kind of just something that just happened, to be honest with you.”

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On McClung’s first attempt of the night, one of his friends sat on another friend’s shoulders with the ball behind his neck. McClung leaped over them, grabbed the ball, kissed it off the backboard and dunked backward.

He received his first perfect score. McClung received a 49.8 on his second dunk, a powerful 360. Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, one of the five judges, gave him a 49 while the other four gave him a 50.

But McClung still took home the trophy, which is named after Sixers legend and Hall of Famer Julius Erving, who presented the trophy to McClung. Soon after, even Sixers managing partner Josh Harris got into the act, introducing himself to his new champion.

McClung also made league history.

He accepted the invitation to participate in the contest last month while a full-time member of the Sixers’ NBA G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. He didn’t sign his two-way contract with the Sixers until Tuesday. He is the first G Leaguer to participate in the NBA’s annual dunk contest.

The 24-year-old became the first Sixer to win the event and the first to participate in the contest since Andre Iguodala in 2006.

The Sixers’ other slam dunk participants were Julius Erving (1984, 1985), Shelton Jones (1989), Clarence Witherspoon (1993), Tim Perry (1993, 1995), Jerry Stackhouse (1996), and Larry Hughes (2000).

On Friday, McClung played for Team Jason, which consisted of G League standouts, in a 40-32 Rising Stars game loss to Team Joakim at the arena. McClung had 10 points, two rebounds, two assists, and one steal in nine minutes.

In other All-Star Saturday Night events, Utah Jazz teammates Jordan Clarkson, Walker Kessler, and Collin Sexton teamed to win the Skills Challenge.

Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard won the 3-Point Contest, scoring 26 points in the finals. Lillard donned his replica Weber State No. 1 jersey in the competition. Lillard was a standout at Weber State, located in Ogden, Utah, 40 miles north of Salt Lake City.