Mac McClung didn't participate in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest this year after winning every year since 2023, but still had some impressive slams to show off.
Guard Mac McClung of the Chicago Bulls didn't participate in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest this year after winning every year since 2023, but still had some impressive slams to show off. McClung, the aforementioned winner of the 2023, 2024, and 2025 Dunk Contests, chose not to participate in this year's contest. Reportedly, other players may have been hesitant to join the contest if the three-time winner was slated to be on board. Whether or not that is a reasonable stance can be debated, but McClung certainly has a reputation that precedes him as one of the premier dunkers in the league.
On Saturday, McClung showed off four of the slam dunks he would have broken out if he participated in the contest.
McClung--with or without the NBA Slam Dunk Contest--still stands as inaugrably one of the best dunkers, if not THE, best dunker on the planet. In one of the more creative dunks I have ever seen, McClung took off and dunked the ball over his head by throwing his arms backwards. It's a tough dunk to describe without seeing it--which is why it is embedded here--but essentially McClung contorted his arms into an uncomfortable motion to dunk in a different kind of reverse style.
The other dunks from McClung's unused 2026 dunk contest slams included an incredible dunk where he tapped the ball to his toes before slamming it in reverse, a through the legs, reverse, two-hand dunk, and a through the legs lob from a teammate that he catches and then throws down in reverse.
It is, of course, impossible to say, but all four of the dunks McClung showed off on social media looks like that they would have received perfect scores at All-Star Weekend, especially considering what ended up being an overall underwhelming event.
This year's Slam Dunk Contest field had Keshad Johnson (Miami Heat), Carter Bryant (San Antonio Spurs), Jase Richardson (Orlando Magic) and Jaxson Hayes (Los Angeles Lakers). The winner of the competition ended up being Johnson of the Heat, a little-known role player who definitely enjoyed the event, and did a solid job making a bit of a name for himself by winning the event. Perhaps the other participants in the event did not want to lose to a player who primarily plays in the NBA G League, as McClung has not yet made his mark a true NBA rotation player yet. But one can only hope whether the league pushes him or he has a change of heart, that McClung returns to the Slam Dunk Contest one day, as the event could certainly use his creativity.