SAN FRANCISCO – If Mac McClung’s dunk involving a hoverboard regarded a tad bit acquainted on Saturday evening at Chase Heart, that was intentional.
As he ready to finish the primary three-peat in NBA Dunk Contest historical past, Mac McClung regarded to the South Bay’s best dunker for inspiration.
9 years earlier, Aaron Gordon had donned that very same blue Orlando Magic jersey and placed on a spectacular efficiency within the dunk contest.
One of many Archbishop Mitty product’s jams concerned grabbing the ball from an individual balancing on a spinning hoverboard.
McClung, who has performed nearly all of his profession within the NBA G-League since leaving Texas Tech, replicated the transfer along with his proper hand, added a simultaneous dunk by slamming one other ball along with his left hand, and earned an ideal 50.
And in contrast to Gordon, who controversially got here in second to Zach Lavine, McClung ended the evening because the winner for the third yr in a row.
“I just wanted to show my respect to him,” McClung mentioned. “I was using one of his ideas, and that contest, I think there were two winners that night. So yeah, it was just a shout out to him and showing appreciation for him.”
Mac McClung pushes two balls by the rim on his ultimate try within the NBA All-Star Recreation Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, at Chase Heart in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Space Information Group)
McClung’s homage to Gordon wasn’t the one time the previous was referenced in San Francisco.
The NBA did its finest to recreate the 2000 dunk contest in Oakland.
Jason Richardson and Tracy McGrady have been judges, well-known spectators Shaquille O’Neal and Kevin Garnett have been within the constructing, and winner Vince Carter sat courtside. Kenny Smith repeated his well-known chorus “It’s over” into the microphone.
The one manner it might have been extra 2000 was if Carter had torn off his go well with and tie to disclose a purple Raptors jersey earlier than dunking from the free throw line.
Regardless that the occasion on Saturday happened throughout the Bay in San Francisco, that legendary evening from 1 / 4 century in the past set an virtually unreachably lofty commonplace for the Bay Space.
But it surely was properly inside attain for top flier McClung, as he left his iconic onlookers slack-jawed and the paying clients in a frenzy throughout a dominant dunk contest efficiency that secured his third consecutive title.
“It feels like a blur,” McClung mentioned. “It’s something I just love doing.”
Spurs rookie guard Stephon Citadel was phenomenal, hitting 49.6 and 50.0 on his ultimate two dunks.
However he wasn’t excellent.
McClung was.
The Virginia native scored an ideal 50 on all 4 of his dunks.
Arguably his finest was the primary, the place he wheeled out a automotive Blake Griffin-style.
However as an alternative of simply barely clearing the bottom a part of the hood, McClung grabbed the ball from above the sunroof and crammed within the reverse dunk earlier than crashing to the court docket.
“I was thinking, ‘Please go in, ball’ and then on the car I’m like ‘please don’t land on the car,’” McClung mentioned. “We’ve been practicing these dunks for eight or nine months.”
It was an exhilarating conclusion to an evening that started as one thing of a dud.
Citadel bought issues going with a slick 180 windmill after a brief runup from the appropriate wing, nailing the jam on his first try.
San Antonio Spurs Stephon Citadel competes within the NBA All-Star Recreation Slam Dunk contest on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, at Chase Heart in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Space Information Group)
The followers have been then subjected to watching Buzelis and Jackson Jr. miss 5 of six dunk makes an attempt, with Buzelis blowing every dunk after making an attempt the identical between-the-legs jam. Jackson salvaged his flip by settling for a pedestrian two-handed scoop.
McClung’s car-hopping dunk utterly re-energized the group.
McClung and Citadel traded aerial masterpieces, however Citadel was deducted 0.4 factors for taking a number of makes an attempt to finish a twisting between the legs dunk after grabbing the ball falling by the ring.
That tiny margin was sufficient to separate McClung from Citadel.
“Yeah, I mean, his dunks are crazy,” Citadel mentioned. “I would give all his dunks 50, too, but I feel like he earned it and he did a great job.”
Will McClung go for the quadfecta? He’s not ruling it out.
“I was thinking of hanging it up after this one, but I never want to say never,” McClung mentioned.
Orlando Magic’s Mac McClung reacts after hurdling a car whereas competing within the NBA All-Star Recreation Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, at Chase Heart in San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Space Information Group)
