Mac McClung, the two-time defending Slam Dunk Contest champion and current two-way contract player for the Orlando Magic, will return to the NBA Dunk Contest this Feb. 15 in San Francisco.
That rounds out the field for the Dunk Contest, reports Shams Charania of ESPN:
• Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
• Matas Buzelis, Chicago Bulls
• Andre Jackson Jr., Milwaukee Bucks
• Mac McClung, Orlando Magic
There are no All-Star players in this mix. If you wonder why, remember Jaylen Brown’s experience from a season ago, when he finished second to McClung and had boos rain down on him from the Indiana crowd when, as he finished a dunk, the LED court being used looked like the Celtics’ parquet (a Pacers rival).
This should still be entertaining. Buzelis has bounce, Castle has had some quality in-game dunks this season, and Jackson Jr. already had one of the best dunks of 2024, a put-back with his head above the rim.
The Dunk Contest will be part of All-Star Saturday Night, Feb. 15 at the Chase Center in San Francisco (home to the Golden State Warriors). The entire evening will be broadcast on TNT, including the 3-point contest and a reported return (and expansion) of the Stephen Curry/Sabrina Ionescu shootout.
