The Slam Dunk champ lands a new job
The Dunk Contest: A Moment of Persistent Perturbation and the Era of a Greatest Challenge for a New Generation of Basketball Players
Understanding the move of the Dunk Contest is what helps to appreciate it. The dunk may or may not be the shot that we know it is today, since the word was used early in 1935 to describe a shooting movement. It was seen as a form of piracy by critics who argued that it diminished the value of more traditional shooting. When dominant college athletes like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) added it to their repertoire, criticism of the dunk often had racial undertones (or overtones, retrospectively). In 1967, the N.C.A.A. banned the dunk, and during the nine-year period that the move was outlawed, the directive was known as “the Lew Alcindor rule.” At the pro level, the shot became more prominent. The American Basketball Association held the first official dunk contest in 1976 to sell more tickets and show off its talent, and by the early ’80s, the N.B.A. began using special rims that accommodated dunking.
The dunker turned a defender into a joke, which is why it has become common in contemporary game play. Now the action is just part of the sport’s iconography. The move is so normalized that references to it have entered pop-culture lexicons. To “dunk on” someone is to vehemently make fun of or criticize them. So often the dunk is seen as a humiliating gesture, but maybe it’s better to lean into the second definition. Dunking is a form of critique where players undermine physical limitations.
Mac McLaughlin of the 76ers: From YouTube to NBA Finals, and from NBA star to NBA player: A tale of three basketballs
What is the big deal? McClung has only played in two NBA games in the past two years, and he only scored three baskets.
The man who was a viral HOH high school dunk champ was still working his way to the League but he needs to get the trophy pronto and bring it back to life. It was Unreal, that’s what Stephen Curry said.
“The crowd was really amazing tonight,” McClung told CNN’s Andy Scholes afterwards. “It was a blessing. It’s really cool man. I will be able to let my children know about it one day. But yeah, the goal is to play in the NBA. I will work every day. I’m hungry but I’m resilient and I’m going to keep working.
For his first dunk, McClung jumped over a friend sitting on another friend’s shoulders, picked the ball out his hands, tapped the backboard and finished with a reverse slam for an instant, perfect 50 from the judges.
Such incredible dunks from the 6ft 2in guard drew the admiration of NBA legends, as he became the shortest player since 1986 to rack up three perfect scores, according to ESPN.
Damian Lillard won the three-point contest while wearing his alma mater’s jersey. The hometown Utah Jazz trio won the skills challenge.
The 76ers’ fresh-faced point guard (who was just called up from the G League this week) was the undisputed star of the night. In every round of the dunk contest in Salt Lake City, McClung bungeed his 6’2″ frame up to the net with flourish.
Who is he? The crowd of basketball celebrities became his hype crew, filming him with sponsored phones and almost taking their own kids with them. For his already-established fanbase, the dunk contest just told the world what they’ve known for years.
What should we do now? One night took the 24-year-old from a YouTube star to a household name. The internet is still recovering from the spectacle and the “Who is Mac McClure?” write-ups will continue for at least a few days.
The winner of this year’s dunk contest, Mac McLaughlin of the 76ers, had to work at a fast food restaurant during the lunch rush on Friday in Philadelphia, as he faced pressure to play in the game.
In order to please the fans, McClung sometimes dunked a ball into a basketball net at a Raising Cane’s in the city.
The Philadelphia Blue Coats and the Dunk Contest he won last week at the Tevatron Collider. A tribute to Tom Holtzmann
It capped a remarkable week for the 24-year-old in which he also signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, after playing for their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, this season.
He said that things have changed since he won the dunk contest. It has been chaotic, I think I have been running around everywhere. but it’s really been a blessing and I’m just trying to have fun with it.”
I think it’s not set in and the players I’m going to associated with for the contest When I get older, it will be something I brag about to my kids. but right now I can’t even really digest it.”
He said, “We would just have late night calls and keep adding to the dunks.” and we just had a great time.”
