Night of Repeats as Mac McClung Wins Dunks Contest, Damian Lillard Wins Three-Point Contest
Last year former Gate City high school phenom and current Oscela Magic point guard Mac McClung made history as he was the first-ever player to win the NBA Dunk Contest without technically being in the league as he was a G-League player. McClung signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers before competing, but he had only been only their roster for four days. Regardless of whether you think he should or should not be a player in the NBA there is no doubt the kid has major bounce. Last year he defeated his dunk opponents Kenyon Martin Jr, Trey Murphy, and Jericho Sims as he recorded a perfect 50 on all of his dunks but one. His 43.5-inch vertical helped him finish the night off with a 360-degree plus dunk to undisputedly take home the trophy.
Last year former Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard took home the 2023 NBA Three-Point Contest trophy as he beat opponents Tyrese Haliburton, Tyler Herro, Buddy Hield, Kevin Huerter, Lauri Markannen, Julius Randle, and Jayson Tatum. Haliburton looked like the early favorite as he scored 31 points tying a 3-point contest record in the first round, but Lillard came back with a mission knocking down a few 3-point “Starry Balls” to win with his 26 points in the final round as he edged out Buddy Hield’s 25 points with his last money ball to take home the trophy.
During the 2024 NBA Dunk Contest and Three-Point Contest, it was more of the same for McClung and Lillard as we watched both of them take home trophies once again. McClung beat out finalist Jaylen Brown as he jumped over NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal and finished a reverse slam to take home this year’s trophy. While Lillard almost didn’t make it to the finals in the 3-point contest as the first round was a four-way tie with 26 points between him, Trae Young, Karl Anthony Towns, and Tyrese Haliburton, he was able to use the “Starry Balls” and Money Balls once again to his advantage leading him to outshoot Young and Towns in the finals to go back to back.
Will we see Lillard and McClung try to go for a threepeat of their events next year?
