Vince Carter revolutionized and in some ways, ruined it. Over the past three years, Mac McClung has brought it back.
The 26-year-old, on a two-way contract with the Osceola Magic, hit a reverse dunk over a car in one dunk and dunked two balls simultaneously in another. He also caught the ball while in the air on another, and facing baseline, paused and then turned to dunk, and for his finishing touches on the evening leapt over Cleveland Cavalier forward Evan Mobley (while taking the ball from him the process) and kissed the ball to the front of the rim before sending it through the net for his final 50, to take the 2025 Slam Dunk Contest, his third consecutive win in the contest.
The San Antonio Spurs’ Stephon Castle was game, putting up a 50 of his own the final round with a left-handed behind his back slam. Castle also hit a flashbulb-worthy through-the-legs dunk where he caught the ball as it fell through the hoop after his dunk assistant shot the ball through.
The story of the contest, and frankly the night, was McClung, becoming the first player to three-peat the dunk contest. In his post contest interview with TNT’s Allie LaForce, McClung hinted that Saturday’s contest could be his last, meaning that the pressure could be on for the mainstream NBA talents to again make their foray into the event.
The Chicago Bulls’ Matas Buzelis had a nice reverse dunk off the backboard but otherwise did not do anything special. The same went for Andre Jackson Jr.
Good for the NBA though is that Mac McClung has reignited what had for a time been a sterile event.
3-Point Contest
Tyler Herro’s 24 points were good enough to defeat Buddy Hield in the 3-Point Shootout. Hield, who put up 31 in the opening round, put up 23 points in the final round. Darius Garland, who scored 24 in round one, put up a final round score of 19.
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