The last few days have been surreal for Mac McClung who was a nobody a week ago and now is one of the most talked about players in the NBA ever since he won the Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday. He has been so busy with interview requests and messages pouring in from all over the world that the Philadelphia 76ers had to assign three people from their Public Relations to sort it out among themselves.
McClung’s claim to fame is incredible to say the least as he went from an unknown G league player to signing a contract with the Sixers and finally achieving greatness by winning the Slam Dunk Contest. His performance in the Dunk Contest was sensational as he left people shocked with his dunks and hence he has gained massive popularity on social media and also among chat show experts and former players.
There was hardly any hype around the Dunk Contest as the event did not have any big names and even McClung did not expect much surely as he was in a two way contract with the Sixers, having played for the Delaware Blue Coats for the entirety of this season. But it was the youngster’s opportunity to make a name for himself and he grabbed it with both hands.
The youngster who went undrafted in 2021, shared that he was looking at videos of dunks as he wanted to be prepared for something as big as the Dunk Contest and all his hard work and dedication came to fruit as he now has a million eyes on him.
“I spent a month and a half to two months practicing,” said McClung, who was the first-ever G League invitee in the Slam Dunk Contest. “I watched professional dunk contests. I was like if I’m going to do this, I want to be prepared and make the most of the moment.”
He shared that he was nervous in the build up to his performance but he remembered Shaquille O’neal’s advice of making the most of this stage as he had nothing to lose. “Nobody knows your name,” O’Neal said. “Make ’em remember your name.”
“I’m like, ‘Okay, no pressure,’” McClung trying to reminisce the emotions of that moment.
In all three rounds he received perfects 10s from all the judges except one. Lisa Leslie did not raise a perfect 10 in the second round on his 360 degree two handed jam. But nevertheless it was a jaw dropping performance for the audience who hardly expected anything like this from him.
While the hype for his sensational dunks from the Slam Dunk Contest is all fine but his main goal is to make an impact in the NBA. He had offers from Turkish outfit, Fenerbahce and also from Shanghai Sharks of China but he gave up on millions only because of the hope of getting spotted in the G League and eventually getting a call up in the NBA.
“I want to make an impact in the NBA and that’s definitely my main focus,” he said. “But [the dunk contest] is definitely something I will never forget for the rest of my life.”
