Doesn’t Magic G-Leaguer Mac McClung deserve an NBA shot after soaring over Shaq to again win Dunk Contest? | Commentary

Mac McClung already has disproved the age-old stereotype that white men can’t jump, but now the multi-million-dollar question is whether a team will give the two-time Slam Dunk champ a chance to prove himself as a legit NBA player.

McClung, a 6-foot-2 guard on Orlando’s G-League affiliate in Osceola County, literally jumped over Shaquille O’Neal to complete a reverse jam to win the Slam Dunk Contest for the second consecutive year Saturday night during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis.

His phone is ringing off the hook with marketing and interview opportunities, but McClung is waiting for that one elusive call from an NBA team that is willing to sign him and give him a roster spot.

“It’s been a long and good journey,” says the 25-year-old McClung, who was undrafted out of college at Texas Tech, had a couple of cups of coffee on NBA rosters (Lakers, Bulls and 76ers) and has been with six different NBA or G-League teams in the last four years. “My happiness is not going to change once I make it to the NBA. I’m happy now playing the game I love every single day. But my goal is definitely to help a team win an NBA championship. That’s No. 1 for me.”

You would think somebody would give him a chance. Yes, he’s a bit undersized and perhaps a defensive liability, but surely there are teams out there who need shooting and scoring and high-flying excitement. And it’s not like McClung is just a dunker. He’s currently third in the G-League in scoring at 23.7 points per game and he’s shooting nearly 39.4 percent from 3-point range. Last season, while playing for the G-League’s Delaware Blue Coats, he averaged 19.8 points and shot 47.4 percent from distance.

And it’s not like he can’t perform under pressure. He did, after all, cleanly jump over Shaq (without cheating and pushing off Shaq’s shoulders) and perfectly executed his final dunk in front of a capacity crowd in Indy and millions watching on television.

The problem is that roster spots in the NBA are few and far between — especially for guys who are street free agents. Let’s face it, NBA general managers are judged by how they draft and are naturally going to give “their” draftees every chance to succeed. For McClung and guys like him, they have to live by Tom Petty’s old longing lament, “The waiting is the hardest part.”

“There are a lot of guys in the G-League who can play [in the NBA],” McClung says. “I’m not saying I’m the only guy who deserves it [a chance]; a lot of guys do. But the NBA is a league with limited spots and sometimes you have to wait for your opportunity. … I’m gonna keep applying pressure, try to win a championship with the Osceola Magic and keep proving that I’m putting in the work every single day. And, then, whenever it’s the right time, it’ll happen.”

Let’s hope so.

If you ask me, Mac McClung getting a legitimate shot in the NBA should be, well, a slam dunk. …

Short stuff: I hate to say it, but I actually enjoyed watching the Pro Bowl flag-football competition more than I enjoyed watching the NBA All-Star Game. How bad was the defense during the East’s 211-186 victory over the West in the All-Star Game? To put it in historical perspective, let’s just say that if today’s NBA players had been manning the Great Wall of China, they would have been fast asleep with every gate wide open and a welcome mat left out for Mongolian conqueror Genghis Khan. Isn’t it apparent that the NBA has a real problem on its hands when the players themselves don’t care enough about their sport’s showcase event to even act like they’re trying? Between the laughable lack of defense during the All-Star Game itself and the league’s best dunkers annually refusing to take part in the Dunk Contest, why should NBA fans care if the players themselves don’t care? What does it tell you when the two best stories of All-Star Weekend — McClung winning the dunk contest and WNBA player Sabrina Ionescu giving Steph Curry all he wanted in a 3-point shootout — aren’t even NBA players? …

Did you see where Florida Gators defensive line recruit D’Antre Robinson, an Orlando Jones product, reportedly made an NIL deal with UF’s collective — Florida Victorious — to get his mom a house? Hey, didn’t Reggie Bush lose his Heisman Trophy for that? Yet another example of why NIL stands for “Now It’s Legal.” … Game ball to Iowa star Caitlin Clark, who scored 49 points against Michigan to become the all-time leading scorer in women’s college basketball history. Stat of the week comes from David Whitley of the Gainesville Sun: Clark’s 49 points against Michigan is 49 more points than Iowa’s football team scored against ranked opponents this season. … Another one from Whitley: “Donald Trump launched his line of ‘Never Surrender’ basketball shoes at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia over the weekend. The shiny gold high-tops go for $399 and come with a top-secret document stuck inside. Not to be outdone, Joe Biden plans to launch a line of ‘Air Bidens.’ They’ll cost U.S. citizens $369, but illegal immigrants will get them for free.” …

As a country music fan, I have to admit I love Beyonce’s new country song, which just hit No. 1 on the country charts. However, I hope this doesn’t start a reverse trend. I’d hate to see Kenny Chesney dancing around the stage at the Super Bowl Halftime Show dressed in Victoria’s Secret lingerie and singing ‘Bootylicious.” … May I suggest a name change for Daytona 500 winner William Byron if he really wants to be embraced by NASCAR fans? His real name, William McComas Byron Jr., sounds like he should be winning the America’s Cup, not the Daytona 500. Billy Bob Byron — now that’s a NASCAR name! … If Doc Rivers keeps losing, fired Milwaukee Bucks coach Adrian Griffin gets my vote for Coach of the Year! … The sports betting industry recorded revenue of nearly $11 billion last year, according to figures released earlier this week by the American Gaming Association. How can that be? Every serious sports bettor I’ve ever talked to always tells me how much they’re winning! … So MLS is beginning its season this week with replacement referees? Talk about going from bad to worse. If you compared the regular refs to a leaky faucet, then the replacement refs are a broken pipe and a flooded kitchen. …

Last word: From Julius “Dr. J” Erving, who turns 74 on Thursday: “Being a professional is doing the things you love to do on the days you don’t feel like doing them.” …

Peace, love and boiled peanuts.

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen