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NBA Slam Dunk Contest: Mac McClung goes back-to-back to win trophy

Cody Taylor
·3 min read

Osceola Magic guard Mac McClung defeated Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown in the Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday to take home the trophy for the second straight year in Indianapolis, Indiana.

McClung and Brown advanced to the final round after out-dunking Miami Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. and New York Knicks rookie Jacob Toppin. He was awarded a perfect score of 50 by the judges in his second dunk of the final round to defeat Brown.

The defending champion brought out Shaquille O’Neal for his last dunk. McClung presented O’Neal with one of his high school jerseys, which fit the Hall of Famer perfectly, and then jumped over him, slamming the ball through the rim.

The competition featured several notable dunks and tributes. Jaquez paid homage to his Mexican heritage on one dunk, with an assist from the LED court, and Toppin wore the same shoes his brother, Obi, wore when he won the contest in 2022.

Brown honored former Kentucky guard Terrence Clarke, who died in a car accident in April 2021. The All-Star has honored Clarke in the past and donned his No. 5 Brewster Academy jersey with his first dunk of the final round.

The evening featured plenty of reaction from the crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium. The panel of judges, which featured Gary Payton and Dominique Wilkins, took some heat for seemingly grading too low on some dunks, which was noted by Reggie Miller and Kenny Smith on TNT.

Despite some low moments from the judges, the event produced several highlight-worthy jams that provided plenty of entertainment. Here are all of the dunk attempts from the four contestants.

First Round: Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Score: 47.4

First Round: Jacob Toppin

Score 47.8

First Round: Jaylen Brown

Score: 48.8

First Round: Mac McClung

Score: 48.0

First Round: Jaime Jaquez Jr. (second dunk)

Score: 46.8

First Round: Jacob Toppin (second dunk)

Score: 47.2

First Round: Mac McClung (second dunk)

Score: 49.4

First Round: Jaylen Brown (second dunk)

Score: 47.6

Final Round: Jaylen Brown

Score: 48.6

Final Round: Mac McClung

Score: 48.8

Final Round: Jaylen Brown (second dunk)

Score: 49.2

Final Round: Mac McClung (second dunk)

Score: 50

Story originally appeared on Rookie Wire