Portland point guard Damian Lillard won the three-point shooting contest on Saturday at NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, where general stranger Mac McClung was crowned king of the dunk contest.
Portland point guard Damian Lillard won the three-point shooting contest on Saturday at NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, where general stranger Mac McClung was crowned king of the dunk contest.
Lillard clinched the title of All-Star Weekend top shooter following a decisive last shot at the buzzer, bringing his score to 26 in the final. It was his third participation.
“They say third time is the best and I’m glad it happened here. It’s a perfect situation. I’m glad I got to do it when I came back to Utah,” said “Dame “, who studied at Weber State University, 40 miles north of Salt Lake City.
“Most of the best shooters in the history of our sport have one,” Lillard said of the trophy. “Being in this competition many times and not having won it, I just wanted to do it at least once,” added the sixth-highest three-pointer in NBA history.
“I’m happy I got it. Now I can retire from this competition,” he smiled.
The 32-year-old point guard won the final once morest Indiana Pacers gunner Buddy Hield – winner in 2020 – and Sacramento Kings player Tyrese Haliburton, author of 31 points in the first round of the competition. The latter thus equaled the record set in 2021 by the master of the discipline, Stephen Curry.
– Perfect dunks –
Buddy Hield of the Indiana Pacers prepares to shoot during the 2023 All Star Game three-point shooting contest in Salt Lake City on February 18, 2023
Tim Nwachukwu – GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Despite Damian Lillard’s buzzer victory, Saturday’s big surprise came in the dunk contest when the unexpected Mac McClung earned a perfect score in the final and the title of top dunker.
Unknown to the general public, McClung comes from the antechamber of the NBA, the G-League, and was only called up to the big league earlier this week by the Philadelphia Sixers.
“It’s awesome. I’m really happy and grateful to the NBA for giving me this opportunity,” he said. “I’m not surprised by this stuff, but I’m very grateful.”
The first G-League player to enter and win the dunk contest, McClung, 24, is also the first Sixer to put his name on the charts.
The 6-foot-8 point guard has only played four NBA games, but he’s been known since high school for his acrobatic dunks.
Unusually, following receiving the trophy from Julius Erving, 1970s legend and one of the most spectacular dunkers in NBA history, he vowed to defend his crown.
“If you want me, I’ll come back,” he responded, to the applause of the audience.
For his inaugural dunk, McClung had the only perfect score in round one: he jumped over a man sitting on another’s shoulders, tapped the ball off the board, and finished with an overhand dunk.
“It was great,” he savored. “Making my first dunk felt good.”
Mac McClung of the Philadelphia Sixers during the 2023 All Star Game dunk contest in Salt Lake City on Feb. 18, 2023
Tim Nwachukwu – GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
For his final dunk, McClung donned his Gate City high school jersey, raced to the basket and performed a 540-degree spin that was rewarded with a perfect score that had the crowd roaring, sealing his triumph.
Finally, the Utah Jazz trio made up of Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton and Walker Kessler won the agility competition at home, consisting of passing, shooting and relay courses.
AFP / Los Angeles (AFP) / © 2023 AFP
