The NBA All-Star weekend has been under scrutiny for years. Once heralded as the best versus the best in basketball showing off their amazing skills and talent in a variety of challenges filled with fiery competition has lost its spark. The All-Star Game is still filled with the best talent in the NBA, but it’s turned into a pick-up style game where there is little effort and little motivation for players.
The challenges that take place on Saturday night: the dunk contest, three-point contest, and skills challenge, used to feature the best of the best. The greatest marksmen, the highest flyers, and the best all-around players. Now, we often get lesser-known players trying to make a name for themselves. One man, Mac McClung, is one of those players.
While not necessarily ‘unknown’ to the basketball community, McClung has not had the NBA career many thought he would’ve. For many, Mac McClung has been a name circulating the basketball world dating back to his high school days, but his name has fallen to the wayside in recent years. To fully understand his path and what led him to be the face of the Slam Dunk Contest we have to answer one question, who is Mac McClung?
Born and raised in Virginia, McClung attended Gate City High School. For all you map people, Gate City is just over the Virginia line bordering Tennessee and about a 90-minute drive northeast of Knoxville, TN. McClung became famous for his ability to reach unique heights in his jumps, perform impressive mid-game dunks, and relentlessly attack the basket.
Overtime, an extremely popular basketball social media platform, often highlights high school players and puts them on the map. McClungs’ Overtime YouTube video went viral, and people all over the country were talking about him. McClungs’ video of his High School State Finals game has north of 2 million views. Clips picked up by national media outlets like ESPN, Bleacher Report, and more spread like wildfire
As a three-star recruit with national name recognition, McClung signed with Patrick Ewing and the Georgetown Bulldogs. In two seasons at Georgetown, McClung averaged about 14 points, 2 assists, and 3 rebounds per game. Mac struggled as a shooter but showed his ability to attack the rim and play off the ball. For his final season in college, he transferred to Texas Tech, where he averaged 15.5 points, 3 rebounds, and two assists per game.
While his college career would be considered a success by many, his knocks heading into the draft were his inconsistent long-range shooting, shaky shot selection, defensive question marks, and lack of playmaking ability. This left him undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Since his entrance into the league, McClung has settled in the NBA G-League for 3 seasons, the NBA’s direct development league. His scoring has hit an all-time high this season as he averages just under 24 points per game for the G-League affiliate of the Orlando Magic, the Osceola Magic.
McClung has become a relevant name across NBA circles as he has now won back-to-back slam dunk competitions. McClung has shown off his athleticism and highlight reel type talent. He is absolutely one of the best athletes on the planet. His creativity in the air and explosiveness are unprecedented, especially at 6’2”.
McClung is now 25 and he’s seen time in just 4 NBA games throughout his young career, 2 with the 76ers, and 1 with the Bulls and Lakers, respectively. He has logged 65 total regular-season court minutes in the NBA. For many players, that would be extremely frustrating, it may even lead to a post-contest plea for playing time or opportunities at the next level. Not Mac McClung, his post-Slam Dunk Contest interview shows you exactly why he’s a guy you should root for. Everything I wrote before doesn’t tell you WHO Mac McClung is, it tells you his path, and his present, not his future.
“There’s so many people that came at me before this, like, ‘Oh, man, you should be mad. You want to be in the NBA. You deserve to be in the NBA’. And I do believe I do,” he said. “But I also think this is my human experience, and I think it’s my human experience for a reason because, without this grind and struggle, I probably wouldn’t be able to impact like I do and have been lucky enough to do things like this. So this is my story, and I’ve really embraced it. I’m going to keep fighting. I’m not going to quit no matter any other outcome.”
This tells you everything you need to know about Mac McClung. A man who has been in the spotlight since his high school days, constantly doubted throughout his college career, and his game marked by critics since his entrance into the NBA Draft. All he has done is remain humble and become a better basketball player.
His statistics have risen every year in the G-League, including shooting an unreal 47% from three last season while leading his team to a G-League Championship. While stepping out of the limelight and into the dim light of the developmental league, he has grinded. For someone who was so used to being successful, he has handled adversity like a pro. No complaints, no outbursts, just hard work and belief in himself.
The storybook ending for McClung leads him to a role with an NBA team, but so few truly get that experience. He has accepted the journey, embraced the twists and turns, and is keeping the faith. While the NBA All-Star Weekend may not be as star-studded as it used to be, it gives a platform for guys like McClung to showcase their talents.
So who is Mac McClung? While he may not be a perennial NBA All-League talent, he is an exceptionally talented athlete, and we all got to see what he does best this past weekend in Indy. He is humble, grateful, and persistent. He grinds behind the scenes and trusts the journey. He is a world-class dunker, arguably one of the best the contest has ever seen, and he will be a name to remember.
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