The 2024 All-Star Weekend is finally here. While rookies and established big names of the league will leave fans in awe during the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday and the All-Star Game on Sunday, certain players will entertain the basketball fraternity with their skills showcase on Saturday. The Dunk Contest has always been one of the most action-packed events of the All-Star Weekend. Last year’s winner Mac McClung was the first G-League player to win the contest and is hoping to defend his title on Saturday.
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Ahead of McClung’s participation in the contest, fans are wondering what his chances are to win again. To measure his chances of repeating last year’s feat, let’s have a look at his vertical.
Back in 2021, Jonathan Givony, an ESPN draft expert, revealed that McClung had a 43.5-inch vertical with a running start and a max vertical of 36 inches without a run-up. “Mac McClung registered the 7th highest max vertical leap in the history of the NBA Combine with his 43 1/2 inch jump. 36 inch no-step vert is also a top-20 mark historically,” Givony noted.
Mac McClung registered the 7th highest max vertical leap in the history of the NBA Combine with his 43 1/2 inch jump. 36 inch no-step vert is also a top-20 mark historically. pic.twitter.com/f2c49YQP41
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 20, 2021
Previously, due to his incredible highlight reels, fans believed that the 6ft 2” player had a 48-inch vertical. One video from four years ago, in particular, almost convinced fans that the guard had a near-50-inch vertical.
Mac McClung will hope to defend his title
Ahead of the All-Star Weekend, Mac McClung sat for an interview with USA Today Sports and spoke about the dunk contest. Apart from stating that he believed he had a chance to defend his championship, McClung also revealed how he practiced “very hard” for the same.
While the 25-year-old didn’t disclose the dunks that he was going to perform, he did mention that he would be attempting certain dunks that the contest had never seen before.
“I could say there’s probably, I think there’s three dunks that haven’t been done in the contest. And I would say two of the dunks I haven’t seen been done before. Hopefully, I can just make em, if I can make them I’ll be happy,” McClung said.
The 25-year-old has a great shot at becoming the first player since Zach LaVine to win back-to-back titles. However, his competitors – Jaylen Brown, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Jacob Toppin – will certainly give him a run for his money.
