2024 NBA Panini Rising Star Mac McClung snubs 3x Slam Dunk Contest champion on his Mount Rushmore of dunkers
To help get the players in the mood for the upcoming Slam Dunk Contest on the All-Star Weekend, contestant Mac McClung was asked which players he would put in his NBA Mount Rushmore of dunkers. When he gave his list, one notable absence was Nate Robinson, who stands as the only three-time Slam Dunk contest winner in league history.
To his credit, McClung did give the names of some of the most electrifying high-flyers that the league has ever seen. All of whom were previous winners of the Slam Dunk Contest.
Aside from that, the four names he gave have also pulled off some insane highlight dunks in the middle of an actual game. Here is what Mac McClung said in response to the question.
"My Mount Rushmore would be, probably Zach Lavine, Vince Carter, Michael Jordan of course, and let's go with Dominique Wilkins."
The G-League standout did provide a good selection of dunkers. Zach Lavine and Michael Jordan are both back-to-back winners while Dominique Wilkins also won twice (1985 and 1990). Vince Carter only won once back in 2000 but he gave fans some of the most iconic dunks ever in a slam dunk competition. Additionally, they also had some very memorable dunks in the middle of NBA games.
Nate Robinson does beat all of them in terms of the amount of Slam Dunk Contest wins with three (2006, 2009, 2010) and he's also had some pretty electrifying in-game throwdowns. Furthermore, he did all that while being only 5-foot-9. Although, his dunks are perhaps simply not as iconic as the four players on McClung's Mount Rushmore.
Also read: "Fraud contest" - NBA faces backlash from fans for re-inviting Mac McClung for Slam Dunk Contest 2024
Mac McClung was last year's NBA Slam Dunk contest winner
The NBA Slam Dunk contest hasn't been up to its usual standards the past few years with the only notable exception being the duels between Zach Lavine and Aaron Gordon.
However, last season was a decent surprise as Mac McClung stole the show and reinvigorated the competition. He went up against Kenyon Martin Jr., Trey Murphy III, and Jericho Sims.
McClung ended up scoring perfect 50s on all but one dunk, which came in the first round of the competition.
This year, he is hoping to repeat as a Slam Dunk contest champion but he will have to do it against some tough competition. He is going up against Jaime Jacquez Jr., Jacob Toppin and Jaylen Brown.
This could be one of the most anticipated Slam Dunk contests in recent memory as it is the first one in a while to feature an All-Star in Jaylen Brown. With McClung coming back to defend his title, fans can only hope that this year's contest will be as exciting as it once was.