The Sixers’ Mac McClung is out to impress at NBA All-Star Weekend — and not just with his dunks

SALT LAKE CITY — How do you look past Mac McClung’s athleticism, a quality that has pigeonholed him but also made him famous?

The point guard was a YouTube sensation for his acrobatic dunks while at Gate City High School in southwest Virginia. And Saturday night at the Vivint Arena, the 24-year-old will become the first 76er to participate in an NBA Slam Dunk contest since Andre Iguodala in 2006.

“It’s hard because if the dunk wasn’t so big, I wouldn’t be in this dunk contest,” said McClung, who registered a 43½-inch vertical jump at the 2021 NBA Draft Combine.“So it’s a give-and-take, but I think you just kind of roll with the punches and you appreciate what you have and look at it as a positive. You try to make it a positive.”

» READ MORE: Sixers guard Mac McClung shines in Rising Stars appearance at All-Star Weekend

The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder accepted the invitation to participate in the contest last month while a full-time member of 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.

McClung said Friday that he’s been practicing two dunks that no one has seen before. At least 80% of the questions during his 20-minute media availability were about his jumping ability and dunking.

That ability has overshadowed his overall game. But his All-Star Weekend isn’t just about showing off his bounce.

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

And on Sunday afternoon, he’ll compete in the NBA G League Next Up Game at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

Competing in multiple events provides an opportunity to display his various skills here in Utah.

“I’m super excited,” McClung said. “If you know me, I love to compete, especially with the guys who are rising stars in the league ... I want to be in. So I can kind of prove myself.”

» READ MORE: All-Star nod or not, James Harden has been elite for the Sixers this season

A Blue Coats standout, McClung is averaging 19.1 points, 4.7 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.8 steals in 18 games. He’s shooting 50% from beyond the three-point line.

McClung has scored at least 40 points twice this season. He had a career-high 44 points against the Raptors 905 on Nov. 18. He made 13 of 21 shots — including 4 of 8 three-pointers — and shot 8-for-9 from the foul line.

On Jan. 16, McClung scored 40 points against the Wisconsin Herd. He shot 15 of 20 — including 7 of 9 three-pointers. The Herd appear to be a favorable matchup for him, as McClung made 7 of 8 threes while scoring 35 points against Wisconsin on Feb. 11.

Posting standout performances in the NBA G League is nothing new for McClung.

Last season with the South Bay Lakers, McClung was the league’s rookie of the year after averaging 21.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 7.7 assists.

He also played in two NBA games, with the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls, last season. And McClung was solid for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Summer League in July and this preseason.

“I think we were interested in a more pass-first point guard,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said in the fall. “Letting Mac go was tough. I love Mac, and I think he’s an NBA player.”

And that’s what McClung is determined to prove. He wants people to see him as more than just a dunking sensation.

“I feel like it’s hard because you want to express that,” he said. “I feel like numbers don’t lie. Team records don’t lie. Each time I go somewhere [and] you can see the end result [of] what happens.

“Like this year, I think with the three-point percentage and my turnover ratio [4.7 assists to 1.7 turnovers] that’s what I’m trying to show. I feel like people who truly really love the game, they find that out.”