Tag: NBA Dunk Contest

Mac McClung won the 2024 NBA Slam Dunk Contest (again) and these were all the best photos

Mac McClung has officially made history, winning the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in back-to-back seasons.

Mac McClung has officially made history, winning the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in back-to-back seasons.

The high-flying G League guard took home the honors after an impressive performance, which included dunking over Shaquille O’Neal, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indiana. McClung beat out Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, Heat rookie Jamie Jaquez Jr. and Knicks forward Jacob Toppin.

Here were the best photos of the night in which McClung was once again crowned champ:

Q&A: Zion Williamson wants to be remembered as a winner and says the Pelicans will be ready come playoffs

And he’s not ready to call Pelicans-Suns a rivalry yet.

Zion Williamson couldn’t resist the temptation to make a statement.

His New Orleans Pelicans had all but wrapped up a mid-season win over the Phoenix Suns, but he had a clear path to the basket and pent up frustration from the helpless feeling of being sidelined when these teams met in the playoffs last summer.

So, with fewer than five seconds left in the game, he took flight for a one-handed 360 windmill dunk that brought fans at Smoothie King Center to their feet and Suns players to the Pelicans bench.

With that, the former Duke standout let the world know he was back — and the Pelicans weren’t backing down from anyone.

Williamson’s stellar first half of the season led to a second career all-star nod and first as a starter, something he called a “real honor,” in a conversation with FTW during All-Star weekend about his partnership with Starry, the NBA’s newest official soft drink.

The former No. 1 overall pick was unable to play in Sunday’s game due to the hamstring injury that has sidelined him since the turn of the new year, but with his return looming, Williamson believes New Orleans will be ready for the playoffs.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. 

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Shaedon Sharpe actually hit his head on the backboard on this insane dunk and fans couldn’t believe it

This dude Shaedon Sharpe can really fly

Man, it is an absolute bummer that Shaedon Sharpe pulled out of the NBA Dunk Contest for All-Star weekend because now all of us are going to be left thinking about what could’ve been.

This dude is very clearly one of the better dunkers in the NBA and it’s only his first year in the league. We got a taste of what that looks like on Tuesday when the Trail Blazers played the Wizards.

Sharpe caught the ball in the corner, managed to squeeze by the defense along the baseline and then rose up for a spectacular finish over Kyle Kuzma. 

It looked absolutely epic on first glance, of course. Just look how quickly he rises.

This dunk becomes even more incredible when you realize that Sharpe’s momentum was actually impeded…by the backboard. He literally hits his head on the backboard as he’s going up.

This is absolutely insane, man. That dude is a special leaper. Wow. NBA fans everywhere were awe-struck. Are we sure we can’t get buddy in the dunk contest?

Aaron Gordon will do the Dunk Contest if he makes the All-Star Game, and we need this to happen

This is the best season of Aaron Gordon’s career.

The NBA Dunk Contest is really boring when Aaron Gordon isn’t involved, and the league needs him back in there to spice things up.

Gordon, who starred in arguably the best dunk contest ever against Zach LaVine in 2016, has experienced multiple controversial losses. He has even dropped a diss track about Dwyane Wade for robbing him of a win in 2020.

It would be hard for him to recreate the magic of 2016, but the dunk contest clearly means a lot to Gordon. In fact, the Denver forward says that he wears No. 50 for the Nuggets to represent a perfect score.

Although he has sworn that he will never do the dunk contest again, Gordon recently told SI.com’s Rohan Nadkarni that he would do the dunk contest if he made the All-Star Game.

Gordon would be an excellent addition to a dunk contest that is currently highlighted by Portland Trail Blazers rookie Shaedon Sharpe, Houston Rockets forward K.J. Martin, and Mac McClung — the first-ever G League player to participate in the dunk contest.

It would be very nice to see Gordon, who already threw down the best dunk of the season thus far, back in the dunk contest. But it would be just as good to see him in the All-Star Game, and he deserves a spot.

The Nuggets are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and Gordon is in the midst of the best season he has ever played. Based on his productivity, an All-Star nod is well within reason.

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As his rim frequency reaches a career-high (he trails Giannis Antetokounmpo by five for the most dunks in the NBA), his shooting efficiency is also better than ever.

Denver’s point differential with Gordon on the floor ranks as the third-best in the league and advanced stats — like Estimated Plus-Minus — suggest that he is having his most impactful season to date.

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Gordon, who is also shooting a personal-best 37.6 percent on 3-pointers, is a do-it-all forward for the Nuggets and he is integral to all of their success on the court.

He has found a perfect role within their organization and he would be a fantastic addition to the 2023 NBA All-Star Game and the 2023 NBA Dunk Contest.

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Who is Mac McClung, the first-ever G League player to participate in the NBA dunk contest?

Mac McClung has just one dunk during his NBA career.

Back when he was still in high school, Mac McClung went viral on the internet for his dunking highlights.

Popular video titles on YouTube described him as the “most exciting” player in America and the “most epic” high school dunker ever. Others wondered if he had the “most bounce” in the nation.

The 6-foot-2 guard from Gate City, Virginia was one of the top recruits in the state coming out of high school. Soon, he will have a chance to recapture the attention of basketball fans around the world when he competes in the 2023 NBA Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend in Utah:

McClung recorded 12 dunks during his three seasons of college basketball. After transferring from Georgetown to Texas Tech, he recorded a 43.5-inch max vertical, which would be seventh-best in league history.

The guard became an undrafted free agent who played in summer league for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021. He also played in the G League for the Lakers, becoming the 2021-22 G League Rookie of the Year, before signing a 10-day contract with the Bulls.

McClung was later re-acquired by the Lakers and he logged 22 minutes on the court during the final game of the season. He scored 8 points in the NBA during his appearances with the Bulls and Lakers last season.

Of his three baskets, one of them was a dunk. He threw down a running, reverse dunk on a leak out in transition during an overtime victory for the Lakers:

McClung played in summer league for the Warriors in 2022 and later joined the Delaware Blue Coats, the G League affiliate for the Philadelphia 76ers.

He has made five dunks across 24 games in the G League so far this season for the Blue Coats, per Synergy.

Although he is not the most prolific in-game dunker among all players in the G League, there is a chance he can impress the judges with exciting theatrics and vertical pop during the contest. He will compete against Portland rookie Shaedon Sharpe and Houston forward K.J. Martin during the competition.

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Marques Johnson proves he can still dunk at 66 and jokingly calls out Cole Anthony while doing it

Cole world.

For several years now, former Milwaukee Bucks star Marques Johnson has posted a video on Twitter around the time of his February birthday to show he can still dunk a basketball. 

Now 66 years old, Johnson kept the tradition alive Monday by throwing one down while sporting a Giannis Antetokounmpo jersey.

He nearly completed the look with a pair of “butter” Timberland boots but thought better of it after seeing Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony’s performance in the slam dunk contest. 

“I was going to rock the butters, but I didn’t want to choke them up too tight and disrespect New York like that,” the five-time All-Star said before tossing the boots.

For those who missed the dunk contest (you didn’t miss much), Anthony completed a dunk in Timberlands in honor of his dad Greg Anthony, a former first-round pick of the New York Knicks.

Timbs are a staple in urban New York shoe culture, but the heavy boots aren’t normally worn as tight as Anthony had to tie them to jump. The moment was also a little anticlimactic after he failed to complete it the first couple of tries.

Even without the Timbs, Johnson’s dunk at his age is still more impressive than some of the dunks we saw in the actual dunk contest.

He dedicated it to his late mother Madea.

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Report: Warriors’ Juan Toscano-Anderson expected to compete in dunk contest at All-Star weekend in Cleveland

Juan Toscano-Anderson will reportedly represent the Golden State Warriors at the dunk contest during All-Star weekend in Cleveland.

Along with Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins, there will reportedly be another player representing the Golden State Warriors at All-Star weekend in Cleveland.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson is expected to enter the 2022 edition of the dunk contest at All-Star weekend.

Toscano-Anderson will join Houston rookie Jalen Green, Orlando’s Cole Anthony and New York’s Obi Toppin in Cleveland at the dunk contest. Toppin placed second in the 2021 edition of the dunk contest. The rest of the field will make their dunk contest debut in 2022.

Via @ShamsCharania on Twitter:

Since Jason Richardson’s three consecutive trips to the dunk contest from 2002-2004, Harrison Barnes has been the only member of the Warriors to compete in the All-Star weekend event in 2014. Toscano-Anderson will become only the fifth member of the Warriors to ever enter the dunk contest.

Since joining the Warriors in 2019, the Oakland native has displayed a flurry of emphatic in-game dunks, including aggressive put-backs and even a windmill slam.

As he prepares for the contest in Cleveland, Toscano-Anderson could lean on his fellow highlight-reel dunking teammates Gary Payton II and Jonathan Kuminga for ideas.

The dunk contest is slated for Feb. 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook! 

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We still don’t know which NBA Dunk Contest judge messed up and gave Derrick Jones Jr. the title

HMMMMMMMM.

The NBA All-Star weekend’s biggest conspiracy has still gone unsolved.

Miami Heat leaper Derrick Jones Jr. defeated his Orlando Magic counterpart Aaron Gordon in a shocking NBA dunk contest result, particularly after Gordon leaped over 7-foot-5 Tacko Fall to throw one down. Gordon was robbed a second time after his incredible 2016 performance ended with Zach LaVine winning.

So where’s the conspiracy?

Per ESPN, some of the judges told Ramona Shelburne they had planned for a tie that would lead to a second dunk-off. Candace Parker said that was the case. So did rapper Common.

“We thought it was going to be tied. We were like, ‘This is a tie!’ But somebody didn’t do it right. I don’t know who it is,” he told Shelburne.

In other words, the idea was to get Gordon’s score to 48 to match Jones’ tally from his previous dunk. But he got a 47, which means one of these three judges went rogue: Scottie Pippen, Chadwick Boseman and Jones’ former teammate, Dwyane Wade.

Everyone’s pointing fingers at Wade, who said afterwards that he “wasn’t the only one who gave him a 9.” He also posted this on Instagram:

No word from Boseman and Pippen, but these reactions are … interesting.

Hmmmm.

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Former Warrior Jason Richardson says Aaron Gordon was ‘robbed again’ at 2020 Dunk Contest

The Golden State Warriors former Dunk Contest Champion Jason Richardson tweeted in defense of Aaron Gordon, saying the Magic forward was “robbed again.”

Every year Aaron Gordon enters the NBA Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star weekend, the Orlando Magic forward puts on a show. However, after two memorable performances in the contest, Gordon has no hardware to show for it.

In 2016, Gordon lost an epic Dunk Contest duel to Zach LaVine. Although he didn’t win a trophy in 2016, Gordon established himself as a modern dunking icon.

In 2020 Gordon returned to the event in Chicago and picked up right where he left off. The Bay Area native threw down multiple dazzling dunks, including a jam over 7-foot-5 Boston Celtics center Tacko Fall.

 

For the second time, Gordon’s dunks weren’t good enough for first place as the judges awarded Derrick Jones Jr. the 2020 Slam Dunk Contest championship.

Former Golden State Warrior Jason Richardson weighed in on the judges picking Jones over Gordon.

Richardson tweeted that Gordon was “robbed again.”

It’s safe to say, Richardson, winner of back-to-back competitions in 2002 and 2003, knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the Dunk Contest.

Aaron Gordon got absolutely robbed in the dunk contest… again

This ain’t right.

Listen, the 2020 dunk contest was absolutely amazing. It’s up there among the best ever. I’m talking Jordan and Wilkins in ’88 or LaVine and Gordon in ’16 good.

But, yet again, like in 2016, Aaron Gordon got absolutely ROBBED of a win.

It felt criminal to send either him or Derrick Jones, Jr. home without a trophy after all of the 50’s those dudes dropped. Not going to hold y’all, fam — I lost count after, like, the 4th one from Aaron Gordon.

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But somebody had to win, I guess? Man, all due respect to Derrick Jones, Jr., but they gave the trophy to the wrong guy tonight.

AARON GORDON DUNKED OVER TACKO FREAKING FALL. TACKO FALL, Y’ALL! LOOK!

This dunk SOMEHOW only amounted to a 47. A 47! Fam, they gave THIS from Dwight Howard a 49! What, did they drop him bonus points for being 56 years old or something? Come on?

Okay, okay. My bad, Dwight. Let me not take my anger out on him. It’s just that Gordon got robbed — AGAIN. Literally nobody can believe this happened.

Look at how Giannis Antetokounmpo felt after Gordon’s final score was announced. The crowd in the United Center booed relentlessly. Nobody can believe it!

Everyone is mad, yo. Nobody is happy with this result. They both should’ve gotten a trophy and we all know it.

Poor Aaron Gordon. He’s going to go down as the greatest dunker to never win a dunk contest.

This ain’t right. We know what happened here. The judges were just ready to go home. And, look, that’s just fine. Being out late sucks! But we have GOT to get things right. We didn’t tonight.

Aaron Gordon is the best dunker in the NBA and you can’t tell me otherwise.

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