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Mac McClung Makes Sixers History Winning NBA's Slam Dunk Contest

Mac McClung is the 2023 NBA Slam Dunk Champion.

Justin Grasso

Mac McClung Makes Sixers History Winning NBA's Slam Dunk Contest
Mac McClung Makes Sixers History Winning NBA's Slam Dunk Contest /
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Philadelphia 76ers two-way guard Mac McClung has been crowned the NBA’s 2023 Slam Dunk Champion. In a contest with three other candidates, including New York Knicks’ Jericho Sims, New Orleans Pelicans’ Trey Murphy III, and Houston Rockets’ Kenyon Martin Jr., McClung took home the title and set social media on fire with several outstanding dunks. 

In his first attempt, McClung jumped over two people while snatching the ball in mid-air before tapping the backboard and reverse-slamming the ball in the hoop. He started off with a bang and picked up a perfect score of 50. 

Although McClung’s second dunk in the first round didn’t earn him a perfect score again, he still had the edge over the competition scoring a round-high of 49.8. McClung finished the first round in the lead with a score of 99.8.

Just two dunkers would advance to the second and final round. McClung was joined by Trey Murphy III.

For his third and fourth attempts, McClung was perfect. On both of his final dunks, McClung received tens all across the board, with two scores of 50. Meanwhile, Murphy III wrapped up his second round with a composite score of 99.

For the first time in franchise history, a Sixers player won the dunk contest. Going into the contest, McClung was the eighth player in Sixers' history to participate in the contest, joining Julius Erving, Shelton Jones, Clarence Weatherspoon, Tim Perry, Jerry Stackhouse, Larry Hughes, and Andre Iguodala. 

McClung makes 76ers history during his first week with the team, as he’s the first to take the hardware home. So far, McClung’s All-Star weekend in Utah has been a major success. Not only did he stand out in the NBA’s Rising Stars Game, where he scored a team-high of ten points in his matchup, but now McClung is the league’s Slam Dunk Champion, leaving the event with a near-perfect score.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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