Once again, the eyes of the basketball world will be on former Gate City standout Mac McClung.
ESPN first reported on Monday that McClung would be participating in the 2025 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. The event will take place during the league’s All-Star Weekend in San Francisco on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 8 p.m.
McClung is the two-time defending champion of the Dunk Contest. In his first win in the event, he defeated Trey Murphy III of the New Orleans Pelicans with a perfect 100-point final round.
He followed that up by besting Boston Celtics’ guard Jaylen Brown with 98.8 points in the final round. McClung’s final dunk of the night earned a 50 to clinch the win.
This year, McClung will be joining a field with San Antonio’s Stephon Castle, Milwaukee’s Andre Jackson Jr., and Chicago’s Mastas Buzelis.
McClung has spent this season on a two-way contract with the Orlando Magic. He has appeared in one game with Orlando and played just five minutes.
Meanwhile, in 24 games with the team’s G League affiliate, McClung has averaged 20.2 points per game while shooting 45.7 percent from the field. He’s also averaging 5.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds a night.
He is coming off an MVP campaign with Osceola, where he put up 25.5 points per game.
McClung made a name for himself as a high schooler at Gate City. The Blue Devil gained virality for his highlight dunks throughout the Tri-Cities, though made a bigger impact by shattering school records and helping Gate City win a state title.
In college, McClung played two years at Georgetown before finishing his career at Texas Tech. Despite averaging just shy of 15 points a night as a college player, he went undrafted, and has spent most of his pro career in the G League.