2023's surprise NBA dunk contest champ reaped many rewards. But not the one he wanted most

Mac McClung’s life took off, skyrocketing into the NBA stratosphere on a February night in Salt Lake City when he won the 2023 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest as a G League player one year ago.

Fame appeared. Exposure increased. Endorsement opportunities arrived.

He ended the season playing two games with the Philadelphia 76ers, scoring 20 points, grabbing nine rebounds and collecting nine assists in the Sixers’ season-ending victory against Brooklyn.

What didn’t show up was a guaranteed contract with an NBA team.

“That’s the biggest battle I fought this summer,” McClung told USA TODAY Sports. “So many people around me were like, ‘Man, you deserve this. What’s going on? What’s wrong? Why didn’t you get this?’ There were so many questions.

“And truly, I felt the same way. I felt like I deserved to get a contract somewhere with the way I played last year.”

Playing for the Sixers’ G League squad, the Delaware Blue Coats, McClung won a G League title and averaged 19.8 points, 5.0 assists, 2.6 rebounds and shot 54.8% from the field, 47.4% on 3-pointers and 82.3% on free throws.

Still, no NBA contract, and McClung had to change the way he thought.

“The word dharma was something I kept telling myself,” he said. “It’s just doing something because you authentically love to do it. I don’t play for the game a call-up or anything like that.

“I really tried to let go of all expectations. Every time I’m on the court, I want to win a championship. But for myself, I let go of, ‘Is this going to happen?’ It’s ‘Can I be better than I was last year?’ And I worked on the things that I felt like I needed to get better at and just continue to grow.”

Playing again the G League – this season for the Osceola Magic – the 6-2 McClung returns to All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis to play in the Rising Stars event.

“There was a funny joke or a meme – a 25-year-old rising star,” McClung said. “But there’s something beautiful about it, too.”

McClung will also defend his slam dunk contest Boston’s Jaylen Brown, New York/G League Westchester Knicks’ Jacob Toppin and Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr.

At Gate City High in southwest Virginia – small, mountain-town Appalachia – McClung became a viral sensation with his dunks and skills. For a brief time, McClung was Virginia’s all-time leading scorer in boys’ basketball and scored 47 in a state title game in 2018. He attracted the attention of major Division I colleges and spent two seasons at Georgetown and one at Texas Tech, declared for the draft in 2021.

He was not drafted and has spent the past three years trying to get a guaranteed NBA contract. He was the G League  Rookie of the Year in 2021-22 and has proven himself as a scorer (21.3 career average) and playmaker (6.4 career assists per game).

To add intrigue and spice to the dunk contest last season, the NBA invited McClung who had at the time played in just two NBA games. With All-Stars cheering him on courtside, he won with a series of dunks jumping over people and 360 and 540 aerials – he clinched the victory with his third perfect 50 score from the judges while wearing his Gate City High jersey.

"He solidified himself as probably one of the greatest slam dunk competitors that we've had in the history of the game,” Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said who added he had been watching McClung’s videos since McClung’s high school days.

Dominique Wilkins was a judge, and Julius Erving – two of the best dunkers ever – presented McClung with the trophy. Family and friends were in attendance, and his press conference that night was filled with joy.

“Everyone around me, I love them and they love me,” he said. “I just felt really lucky. And I think that’s the key to never forget how lucky we are to do what we do and to have the experiences I’ve had. I felt that and I still feel that to this day. That was the coolest part – just my family and best friends being there.”

The dunk contest opened previously unavailable doors. McClung won $100,000 for his dunk contest, signed deals with Puma, AT&T and Raising Cane’s and he has a short film coming out this summer (nothing to do with basketball).

“You get to be in different rooms,” McClung said. “I’m making sure I'm doing exactly what I want to do in life and to not really limit myself to one thing.”

His G League contract totals $120,000, and his Puma deal is valuable enough that he turned down a seven-figure offer to play in China.

He has worked on his game – cutting down on floaters he attempted and trying to slow down his pace, moving without the basketball, setting better screens and applying more defensive pressure. This season, he averages 24.5 points, 6.7 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 1.0 steals and shoots 48.4% from the field and 37.1% on 3s.

“I heard a lot of GMs say, I don't know what he has to do. He's done a lot. But I keep applying pressure,” McClung said.

It seems he’s close. But there is concern is that he’s not a true point guard – and he’s trying to prove he can be – and he’s too small to play shooting guard.

“It's just been unique because there's nothing to compare it to,” McClung said. “There's nobody I know who’s went through an experience like this. You have this popularity, you go places and people support you and they're following you online, but you haven't made it yet. You haven't done what you – and I don't know if there's a certain end point that I'm looking for – but I'm not in the NBA right now. But you have this popularity and you're trying to balance it and really stay true to the one goal.

“But there's been a lot of blessings from it. I've met a lot of cool people. I've got to experience so many cool things. But my life, it definitely changed after last year.”