Publish date: 2024-03-28

MAC McClung twisted his body high in the air before hammering down the ball with authority time and again to "save" the Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday.

The former Los Angeles Lakers rising star's career gained lots of momentum after putting on a show during the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend.

And the 6'2'' guard hopes his Slam Dunk performance will finally let him find his place in the league, allowing him to fulfill the potential he showed in his youth.

McClung was born in Kingsport, Tennessee on January 6, 1999, but grew up in Gate City, Virginia.

His parents, Marcus and Lenoir, named their son Matthew — but apparently, they have never called him by his real name.

“I’m calling him Mac no matter what," Marcus told Lenoir back in the day, according to Andscape.

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Mac initially played football — but once he gave basketball a try, he never quit.

McClung quickly became a star at Gate City High, leading the school to its first-ever state championship in his senior year in 2018.

He averaged 42 points per game on the way to breaking Allen Iverson's Virginia High School League (VHSL) single-season scoring record of 948 points — ending up with 1,153 himself.

The guard also dropped 47 points against R.E. Lee-Staunton in the VHSL championship game, eclipsing JJ Redick's 43 for the most ever in any class.

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A couple of months later, he brought out a reverse-pump slam and one-handed under-the-legs flush to win the slam dunk contest at the Ballislife All-American Game.

NBA legend and Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing reportedly flew himself to visit the McClungs and convince Mac to join the Hoyas after he de-committed from Rutgers.

“I love his heart. I love his tenacity. I just love everything about him,” Ewing told The Kingsport Times.

"He’s strong, he’s a great finisher. In the Big East I think there are a lot of great players, but I think that’s something that he can become.”

Personally, Mac wanted to prove he was more than an entertainer with an impressive vertical jump.

And McClung did that at Georgetown, averaging 14.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in his first two seasons.

But "a number of different events" caused him to enter the transfer portal in 2020 before landing at Texas Tech.

"I really wanted to stay, but things throughout my career made me realize that I couldn't," Mac told ESPN.

"I'm looking for a place I can call home. A place I can be a part of a family and help them succeed."

His production remained on a similar level while with the Red Raiders, and McClung improved his 3-point shooting to 34.3% on the season.

Still, he went undrafted in 2021 before signing a two-way contract with the Lakers — known for finding unpolished gems among players who go under the radar in the NBA draft.

Mac got to play in a couple of NBA games for the Lakers and the Chicago Bulls in 2021-22, with whom the guard signed a couple of 10-day deals before returning to L.A.

But for the majority of the season, he shined for the South Bay Lakers in the G League.

McClung won the G League Rookie of the Year award after 21.7 points, 7.6 assists, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 27 regular-season games.

He then showed off his athleticism, playmaking, and scoring prowess for the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 Las Vegas Summer League.

But Mac ended up in the G League once more this season, siding with the Delaware Blue Coats, the affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Things started to trend in the right direction again for McClung a few days before the 2023 All-Star Weekend began.

On Valentine's Day, the guard signed a two-way deal with Philly — which is why he donned a Sixers jersey on Saturday.

Fittingly, Sixers legend Julis Erving handed McClung the trophy for the Slam Dunk Contest winner after he wowed everyone with four jaw-dropping buckets during the competition.

Shaquille O'Neal joined many others in claiming the guard's performance "saved" the contest after it delivered duds in the past few years.

Mac also doubled his career earnings thanks to his high-flying show, earning $100,000 for winning the event.

He is believed to have earned just a little over that sum during the entire 2021-22 campaign.

But most importantly, McClung has made himself known, positioning himself well to achieve the ultimate goal and finally make it in the NBA.

“I think in my situation, I'm not really worried about what other people think, good or bad," he told reporters on Saturday.

"I'm just staying the course. My goal is to make an impact in the NBA, and I'm just going to keep working until that happens.”

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