NBA All-Star Saturday: Mac McClung wins third consecutive dunk contest, Tyler Herro takes 3-point title

UPDATED: Feb 16, 2025 15:14 IST

Mac McClung made history at NBA All-Star on Saturday, becoming the first player to win three straight Slam Dunk Contests with four perfect 50s. Miami’s Tyler Herro edged out Buddy Hield to win the 3-point contest.

If there were any doubts about who owns the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Mac McClung put them to rest. Winning any pro-level trophy in a row is a rare event. He made it look easy. The G League star won his third title in a row at NBA All-Star Saturday. He recorded perfect scores of 50 on all four of his dunks.

McClung is the only player to win three dunk contests in a row. Nate Robinson is the only other player who won the dunk contest three times. He won the titles in 2006 and then repeated them in 2009 and 2010.

McClung had to be almost perfect to beat San Antonio’s Stephon Castle in the final round. Castle scored 49.6 on his first dunk and a perfect 50 on the second. He pulled this off with an impressive switch of the ball. He switched it from his right hand to his left behind his back before dunking.

But McClung was ready for the challenge. All four of his dunks earned a perfect 50 from the judges. The star player left everyone in awe when he jumped over the Kia K5. A helper was holding it above his head in the car. McClung grabbed the ball and finished with a two-handed reverse dunk.

After winning the game, McClung said, "When you feel like the crowd has your back, that gives you a different level of adrenaline, maybe confidence. It was great. It felt really good, and the judges gave me some good scores, so that got me feeling good. I really do like to play off the crowd."

The 6-foot-2 guard has mostly played for the Magic's G League team in Osceola this season. In his first 29 games, he has averaged 21.1 points and 5.4 assists.

Damian Lillard was eliminated in the first round. Buddy Hield, Tyler Herro, and Darius Garland advanced to the finals. The Milwaukee Bucks guard fell short of creating history. He missed the chance to join Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only players to claim three straight 3-point contests. His score of 18 fell one point short of the final round.

On the other hand, Cavaliers teammates Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell defeated the Warriors' Draymond Green and Moses Moody to win the skills challenge.