He’s done it again. Orlando Magic’s Mac McClung has etched his name into history, becoming just the second player ever to win the NBA All-Star Dunk Contest three times. And the first one to do it in three consecutive years! That alone is enough to put him alongside legends like Vince Carter—at least, that’s what ex-Celtics champ Kendrick Perkins believes. But Carter? He thinks McClung isn’t just joining the greats—he might just surpass them.
Fresh off his historic win, Mac McClung joined Vince Carter and Grant Hill for an All-Star interview, where the conversation took an interesting turn. The show’s host wasted no time bringing up McClung’s recent statement—just last week, he said he’d retire from the contest if he won. Well, he did. But Carter wasn’t about to let him walk away that easily. He urged McClung to return next year and he had a solid reason.
He reminded McClung just how much the crowd loved every second of his performance. “You heard the crowd when you said it. They responded,” Carter pointed out.
“It’s definitely up to you, but your want to. When we sat and talked, the one thing you were very confident and comfortable with saying in front of that group, that you were going to go out there and try to win it. It wasn’t like humble like, ‘Yeah, if I get the opportunity,’ which you said, but you also said, ‘I’m going out there to win, to be a part of history.’”
Then came the ultimate challenge. Carter pushed McClung to go where no dunker has ever gone before—four straight titles. “I’ll say this, think about it. Nobody’s ever won four in a row.”
“Nobody’s ever won four in a row” @mrvincecarter15 is already pitching another #ATTSlamDunk Contest run to @McclungMac pic.twitter.com/FPPXfByl8U
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 16, 2025
While Vincanity wants McClung to go for another one, why does Kendrick Perkins believe McClung is already a dunk legend like Carter?
Kendrick Perkins saw Vince Carter in Mac McClung
The way McClung dominated the contest makes it hard to argue with Big Perk. McClung went up against Stephon Castle, Matas Buzelis, and Andre Jackson Jr., but from the moment he took off for his first dunk, the competition was over. On his opening attempt, he grabbed the ball straight out of a person’s hands as they stood through the sunroof of a Kia, floated over the car, twisted mid-air, and slammed it home behind his head.
Then, as if that wasn’t enough, McClung followed it up with another jaw-dropping moment. Kendrick Perkins couldn’t hold back his excitement, taking to X to post, “Damn it Mac!!!”
The second dunk saw McClung enlist another assistant—this time, a man standing near the basket holding a ball over his head. McClung sprinted along the baseline, soared up, grabbed the ball, and appeared to just hang in the air before turning and hammering down a two-handed finish.
But it was his third dunk that sealed the deal. Once again, ex-Celtics star had to react, declaring on X, “Yep. McClung is one of the Greatest Dunkers of All-Time.” And McClung backed it up. Jumping over the 6’11” Evan Mobley, he tapped the ball off the rim before slamming it home, earning a perfect 50 from the judges.
So after this historic feat, could he become the first to win four? That remains the biggest question, and all eyes will be on him next year.
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