But if McClung expected to become a more traditional point guard at Texas Tech, he was likely disappointed by the results. Another starter in Ewing's backcourt, James Akinjo, also transferred after the 2019-20 season. He was playing off the ball.'Įwing recruited a guard-heavy roster at Georgetown that left everyone unsatisfied. He didn't get the opportunity really to showcase that.

I'm not saying he couldn't have gotten that at Georgetown, but he didn't showcase that at Georgetown. 'The feedback that he got from teams was that they wanted to see him facilitating more,' Daniel Hanzen told the Washington Post at the time. According to his agent, McClung was looking for a role that Georgetown simply wasn't giving him. McClung declared for the 2020 NBA Draft before pulling his name and announcing a transfer to Texas Tech. He missed 11 games, and after the fact, it became clear that the two sides weren't thrilled with the partnership. McClung entered All-Star Weekend with 821,000 followers on Instagram, more than twice as many as three other competitors ( Trey Murphy III, Jericho Sims and Kenyon Martin Jr.) have combined.īut the Hoyas went 15-17 in McClung's second season, scoring 16 points a game. He began dunking while playing for Gate City High School in Virginia, and in the process quickly became an internet sensation. McClung may not have proven himself as an NBA player, but his credentials as a dunker are well-known. So why was McClung here in the first place? In one night, a player many viewers had never heard of managed to join the ranks of Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter and Michael Jordan in the dunk contest history books.īut who is? Let's dive into the life and career of Mac McClung, the G-Leaguer-turned Slam Dunk champion.

McClung stole the show with one of the best Slam Dunk performances in recent memory. When his participation was announced, fans even mocked the league for failing to convince bigger stars to the once proud event. The 24-year-old guard has played in only two NBA games, neither of which came this season. Mac McClung was regarded as a bit of an odd choice to headline the 2023 NBA Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday night.

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