2-time Lakers champion wonders what NBA has against Mac McClung: ‘He CAN play’

Orlando Magic guard Mac McClung has been the face of the Slam Dunk Contest for the past few years now. He’s won each of the last three contests and beat out San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle, Milwaukee Bucks guard Andre Jackson Jr. and Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis to win the 2025 crown on Saturday.

But even with all of his success in the contest in recent years, he has yet to receive a real opportunity to carve out a role for himself at the NBA level. Since turning pro, he’s appeared in a mere five regular-season NBA games. McClung is currently on a two-way contract with the Magic.

Former Los Angeles Lakers big man Mychal Thompson took to X after McClung’s third consecutive Slam Dunk Contest title and expressed confusion as to why he isn’t getting more opportunities to play in the league.

Of course, there’s a lot more to the game of basketball outside of dunking, but McClung isn’t just a one-trick pony. He has showcased a multifaceted skill set with Orlando’s G League affiliate on the Osceola Magic this season.

McClung struggled to score the ball with efficiency in the Tip-Off Tournament, but he’s rectified those numbers in 15 regular-season games with Osceola so far. He’s scoring 24.5 points per game while shooting 51.9 percent from the floor and 36.8 percent from deep in the G League’s 2024-25 regular season. Additionally, he’s contributing 4.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game.

However, considering his lack of size and defensive chops, it’s possible that McClung is an example of a player who’s too talented for the G League yet doesn’t have what it takes to stick around in the NBA for any sizable period of time.

Regardless, it should be interesting to see if McClung gets any new opportunities at the NBA level in the coming days and weeks in light of three-peating in the Slam Dunk Contest. At the very least, he’s likely to attract some eyeballs when he’s on the floor.