Mac McClung Reveals Why He Isn't Doing Dunk Contest

The last time the NBA Dunk Contest was at all interesting was when Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon put on an absolute show during the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend. Since then, it's been all downhill. Many NBA fans aren't even tuning into the All-Star Weekend festivities, while in the past, it was must-see TV. 

A big reason for that is that the best players and dunkers are no longer participating in the Dunk Contest. At some point over the last few years, it became “uncool” to do the dunk contest, and since then, we’ve been seeing guys who we barely know perform dunks for an unenthused crowd. 

Mac McClung, a fringe NBA player who has only played in 10 NBA games ever, has been the most recent story with the Dunk Contest. Because no good players were entering the competition, the NBA started putting McClung, an insane dunker but barely an NBA player, in the competition. 

McClung is taking a step back this year after winning three straight Dunk Contests. “Originally, I told everybody I was done. I retired after the third year, and they're good friends of mine. We're in contact a lot, and they were talking about this next year, and I was pretty much saying, 'I'm not going to do it.' But I prepared anyway, just in case maybe I would. I think there was just back and forth of us being like this, and then they were calling me, being like, 'People didn't want to do it if I was doing it,' and I thought it's best if I just sit out this year and let it be, no matter what.”

This Dunk Contest likely won’t be much better than the other ones of late, but at least a real NBA player will likely win the award.