Mac McClung Opens Up on Chasing NBA Dunk Contest Three-Peat

Mac McClung has given his thoughts on the Slam Dunk Contest.

Feb 18, 2023; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Mac McClung (9) celebrates with the trophy after winning the Dunk Contest during the 2023 All Star Saturday Night at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

On Saturday night, the NBA will hold their annual Slam Dunk contest, a staple of All-Star Weekend, that has come under fire in recent years from the fans thinking the event is just lackluster as a whole, with this year being no different than any other to some.

However, this couldn't be any further from the truth, as there sits potential history to be made as Mac McClung aims to become the first player to win three straight Slam Dunk titles.

McClung, a former Philadelphia 76ers player, who currently plays for the Orlando Magic and its NBA G League affiliate, has become synonymous with the event, whether it was pulling off a 540° dunk in 2023,or leaping over Shaq, who stands at 7'1" to help seal the 2024 title.

Feb 17, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Osceola Magic guard Mac McClung (0) celebrates after winning the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest during NBA All Star Saturday Night at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The event itself is something that McClung looks forward to every year, which can be seen in his effort in front of the judges, yet it wasn't exactly something that was guaranteed to happen this time round.

"It's something I try to think and see if I'm gonna do it every year," McClung told 76ers on SI. "It wasn't a for sure thing this year."

It would be tough to imagine the contest without McClung, someone who will be making his third appearance in the arena on Saturday night, only trailing former Slam Dunk contest winner Dwight Howard by one appearance.

However, the idea of the Slam Dunk contest without McClung is something that fans may have to get used to, as he is flirting with the idea of it being his last dance.

"I just figured this will probably be my last go around, hopefully, I still got some things left in the tank," stated McClung.

As he alluded to earlier, preparing for the event isn't the easiest for your third straight contest, but he's been working on ways to overcome it.

"I've been prepping for a couple of months already and just trying to be creative, it's tough," said McClung. "You know, the third time you almost run out, you're like, what else can I do? So you just keep thinking and try to figure out something that's creative and different."

Despite the storyline going into Saturday night's festivities surrounding the potential three-peat, it's something that McClung doesn't really want to think about, rather wanting to focus on the love of the competition and what it stands for.

"That would be an honor, I think I'm definitely doing it just for the craft, the art, and the love of the dunk contest, not really the three-peat," said the 26-year-old. "But I probably say just because I love the contest, that's why I'm really doing it."

If McClung is to win on Saturday night, it wouldn't only make him the first player to ever complete the three-peat, but he'd also tie Nate Robinson with three titles while surpassing such pioneers of the game such as Michael Jordan and Dominque Wilkens.

The NBA Slam Dunk Contest will take place on Saturday Feb. 15 starting at 8:00 p.m. EST.

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