SAN FRANCISCOMac McClung achieved an unparalleled three-peat in NBA dunk contests by pulling off four flawless dunks.
At NBA All-standout Saturday night, the G League standout and dunk expert put on an incredible performance, becoming the first player to win three consecutive dunk contests with perfect scores of 50 on all four of his incredible, inventive dunks.
The only other player to win the dunk contest three times is Nate Robinson, who did so in 2006 and again in 2009–2010.
In the final round, McClung had to be almost flawless to defeat Stephon Castle of San Antonio, who had gone behind his back to swap from his right hand to his left before the slam, after Castle had followed up his first dunk with a 49.6 with a 50 on his second.
A DUNK NEVER SEEN YET BY MAC MCCLUNGThe #ATTSlamDunkContestpic.twitter.com/1viDIbqozQ comes to a close with another PERFECT 50.
Although he has only participated in five NBA games, McClung was up to the challenge and, according to Sportradar, has won as many dunk contests as he has dunks in NBA games.
ARE YOU KIDDING, MAC MCCLUNG? #ATTSlamDunkpic.twitter.com/SikHkchNwM
McClung placed 6-foot-11 Evan Mobley on a platform in front of the basket for his last dunk. To the delight of the judges and audience, the 6-2 McClung leaped over Mobley, who was holding the ball over his head, tapped the rim with the ball, and then slammed it home.
In the final round, McClung’s first dunk involved slamming a ball near the hoop with his left hand and taking another in midair for a windmill dunk with his right.
In the first round, McClung also earned two flawless scores. A person was holding a ball through the sun roof of a car that was parked in the lane on the first. The crowd gasped as McClung scored a 50 after he leaped over the car, took the ball, and performed a reverse, behind-the-head dunk.
Watch the slow-motion replays of Mac McClung’s dunk over a car, which are a must-see.
Despite having already secured a position in the final, McClung did not let anyone down on his subsequent attempt. In order to convince baseball star Barry Bonds to jump out of his seat for another fifty, he leaped over someone who was carrying the ball and performed a spinning, no-look slam.
After his second dunk, Mac McClung was eliminated for a 50.He moves on to the Roundpic.twitter.com/V8WkDSQBBZ #ATTSlamDunkFinal.
Castle progressed with more conventional dunks, earning a 95 overall.
Andre Jackson Jr. of Milwaukee and Matas Buzelis of Chicago were both eliminated in the opening round.
Three-point contest
Tyler Herro of Miami defeated Buddy Hield of Golden State in the three-point shootout at the NBA’s All-Star on Saturday night.
Damian Lillard’s score of 18 was one point below Herro’s for the final slot in the three-person final, denying him the opportunity to become one of just two players to win three consecutive titles as three-point champions, along with Larry Bird and Craig Hodges.
Herro set the pace in the final with 24 points, building on his third-place showing in the first round. He finished it by making three of five shots from the money ball rack, each earning two points, and two three-point special shots.
Hield scored 31 points in the final after a thrilling first round, but he missed his first six attempts. To the pleasure of his home audience, however, he started playing after that and had a chance to win by making six money balls in a row.
Before one shot rimmed out, he made four consecutive. He finished with 23 points after making the game-winning shot.
Herro remarked, “Just happy, enjoying the moment, happy to be here.” I admit that I was anxious before the first round. Buddy had the opportunity to tie it at the finish, but I felt like I shot it fairly well in the second round. A group of excellent shooters, and undoubtedly a fantastic competition. Just glad to be here, like I mentioned.
In the last round, Darius Garland finished third with 19 points.
Cam Johnson of Brooklyn, Norman Powell of the Clippers, Cade Cunningam of Detroit, and Jalen Brunson of New York were all eliminated in the first round.
Skills Challenge
To win the NBA’s Skills Challenge title, Cleveland’s Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell defeated hometown idols Moses Moody and Green.
After Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama of San Antonio were disqualified for attempting to circumvent the rules in the obstacle course, which involves players racing through stations with different passing and shooting drills, the final was held.
Mobley and Mitchell made nearly all of their shots from three positions on the floor on their first try, and the Cavaliers went first in the final round, racing over the course in 1 minute, 0.3 seconds.
Mobley, who was also a member of the winning group in 2022, admitted that it was enjoyable. The first one seemed a little rusty to me; I had to get used to it again. After that, the second round went smoothly, and Donovan came in just behind and won.
For the Golden State combination, Moody breezed through the opening round, while Green struggled to hit his shots and missed all three chest passes. Before time ran out to meet Cleveland’s deadline, he was unable to reach the last two stations.
In the first round, Wembanyama and Paul were booed harshly for simply throwing the balls off the racks without even attempting to make a shot. In the end, they were disqualified.
Paul remarked, “We tried something that we thought could win.” It was enjoyable to check if we had the best time.
The rookie squads of Alex Sarr of Washington and Zaccharie Risacher of Atlanta were also ousted in the first round.
— AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow
