The shooting guard Matthew “Mac” McClung, a player in the affiliate league of the NBA, revived this Saturday the decayed contest of dunks of the All-Star with a spectacular triumph. The white guard, 1.88 meters tall, achieved the maximum score in three impressive dunks which led him to receive the title from the legendary Julius Erving, who from now on will give his name to the trophy of this event.
“I feel blessed that the NBA gave me this opportunity,” thanked the current G-League player from the center of the Vivint Arena court.
McClung is the first player from the affiliate league to be invited by the NBA to participate in this event, which has received much criticism for the low level of recent years.
This same Saturday, the commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver, affirmed that the exposure that this contest previously offered has lost interest for the great stars of the league at a time when their plays are within the reach of any fan with a single ‘click ‘.
Wearing a Philadelphia 76ers uniform, the team that has his rights, McClung stole the ‘show’ from the other competitors with his amazing ability to jump and agility in the air.
In the first half, McClung took the first of his first high scores with an action in which he jumped over two people, hit the ball against the backboard and dunked.
Forward Trey Murphy III, of the New Orleans Pelicans, also went to the final while Kenyon Martin Jr. (Rockets) and Jericho Sims (Knicks) were eliminated.
In the final, McLung took two other top scores from the jury, which included two-time contest winner Dominique Wilkins and former local heartthrob Karl Malone.
In one of them, the guard made another jump over the person who gave him the ball and made a rectification in the air before dunking from behind, with his head almost at the height of the rim.
The 24-year-old McLung’s actions stunned Giannis Antetokounmpo and the rest of the NBA stars who were in the band recording the moment with their cell phones as well as other figures in the distance.
“Incredible performance by McClung! It’s fun to be surprised after every dunk!!!”, none other than Emanuel Ginobili wrote on Twitter.