Keshad Johnson of the Miami Heat won the 2026 Slam Dunk contest, but it was Mac McClung who dominated the headlines. The only player to win the contest three times in a row did not participate due to an apparent insecurity by other players. The reasoning even caught veteran broadcaster Dan Patrick by surprise.
“Quite frankly, they didn’t really want me in it this year,” said McClung on the March 26th episode of the Dan Patrick Show. “They wanted me in it, and then some things happened and it kind of just went back and forth, and at the end, they kind of didn’t want me in the contest. So I’d already prepared. That’s why I released those dunks on social media because I’d already prepared.
They told me that it was just a weird situation, man. I think they said a couple of guys didn’t want to do it if I were in it. And I was like, ‘Okay, well, I don’t want to ruin that.’”
Before the Dunk contest, the 27-year-old also secured a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls. He was officially part of the league, and his participation would have boosted the mediocre Dunk contest. Lakers’ Jaxson Hayes missed one, and his attempts didn’t leave any lasting impression. Magic’s Jase Richardson’s fall was more memorable than his dunks. The eventual winner, Johnson, would overtake Spurs rookie Carter Bryant for the win.
It was Mac McClung’s father who wrote in a text message to ESPN before the event, which was cryptic in nature. “Not going to be 4 in a row,” Marcus McClung said. “Not one reason that I could say was the main reason. In my opinion, it is more like a bunch of reasons that just point to him not doing it.” His son just confirmed those reasons.
For the past few years, while the 27-year-old was constantly lighting up the G-League, it was the Slam Dunk contest that put his name on the map. He even defeated Celtics Jaylen Brown in 2024, further boosting the narrative that the players could have been insecure with his appearance.
Former All-Star stated that the NBA blocked Mac McClung’s participation
His absence raised questions, but not for Gilbert Arenas.
“He’s the only player in history to win it three times in a row, right? So Nate Robinson has three, so he and Nate Robinson are tied for one now, and that’s why he’s not in this one, because I think they think it’s gonna look bad that a guy who really never been in the NBA, never really got a shot in the NBA, will hold the title, if he wins the next one,” said Gil on his podcast.
“And he will have four in a row. He’s gonna go down as the best dunker ever.”
The argument from the Warriors star makes complete sense. Mac McClung has had only 10 appearances in the NBA since the 2021-22 season. He has bounced around multiple teams and eventually settled with G-League roles to continue having that dream of consistently playing in the NBA. But if he had won the fourth Slam Dunk contest, he once again would have been the face despite not being really a full-time NBA player.
While the NBA ignored the 27-year-old, the fans cheered him. On social media after the event, Mac McClung uploaded several practice attempts of his dunks, which were miles better than what everyone had seen during the All-Star weekend. But he has not let that setback put him down. In fact, recently, he dropped a career-high 59 points and became the all-time leading scorer in G-League history.