There was a time when Zion Williamson and Mac McClung were the two best high school dunkers in the country.
It was around 2018 – when both were seniors – and it saw the two great drivers face off on the high school basketball mixtape circuit, McClung at Gate City High School in Virginia and Williamson for Spartanburg Day School in Caroline from the south.
On Saturday night, it was McClung who revitalized the dunk contest after yet another dead period in the event’s history. He was nearly perfect on his way to victory despite recently signing an NBA contract. The 76er, who has a two-way contract, only had one sub-50 dunk and won the trophy, even reportedly signed a Puma shoe deal on victory night.
Williamson, who was voted into his second All-Star appearance this season but will miss the game on Sunday while recovering from a recently aggravated hamstring injury, said he is ready to enter the contest to dunk next year. It’s something he hasn’t done since being the No. 1 draft pick in 2019.
“I’ll think about it,” he said in an interview with Complex. “I’m going to put a lot of care into doing the dunk contest. I feel like if I’m going to do it, I’ll probably do it next year.
Williamson, now in his fourth season, sat out largely due to injury, although he turned down an invite in 2021 in his second season.
The dunk contest has had a star issue for years now. This year’s edition featured KJ Martin, Trey Murphy III, Jericho Sims and the aforementioned McClung. The front three are at least decent young role players in the league – Murphy III is a sophomore starter on a potentially playoff-bound Pelicans team, but is not someone the casual NBA fans can recognize. Ja Morant is among the so-called many NBA players who elected never participate.
Last year’s winner, Knicks forward Obi Toppin, triumphed in a largely forgettable contest. The 2020 edition featured a quality back-and-forth with Derrick Jones Jr. and Aaron Gordon in a dunk-off to win it all, but otherwise it’s been a mostly back-breaking event since Gordon’s duel with Zach LaVine in 2016.
McClung added some juice to the competition. But a showdown with Williamson could bring some extra energy if the Pelicans star can stay healthy.
New York Post
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