The Chicago Bulls aren't the best team in the league (or close to it). They don't have the best player in the league (they are home to the GOAT), either, but they do have the best dunker in the world. Mac McClung won the 2023, 2024, and 2025 NBA Slam Dunk contests before choosing to sit out 2026.
He signed a two-way contract with the Bulls at the beginning of February, but before he did so, as ESPN reported, he already decided not to defend his dunk crown at All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles. McClung was set to attend the festivities by partaking in the Rising Stars Game on Friday night, but a calf injury changed that.
Rather than watch McClung's high-flying, unbelievable dunks, fans watched Keshad Johnson (the winner), Carter Bryant, Jaxson Hayes, and Jase Richardson compete. We all know that McClung would've easily dominated the field, but he's trying to distance himself from his reputation as just a dunker, putting all of his focus instead on working to have a long NBA career.
New Bulls guard Mac McClung didn't want to compete in the dunk contest
The 27-year-old went undrafted in 2021, signing with the Lakers. He appeared in one game for Los Angeles in 2021-22, spending the majority of his time with the team's G League affiliate, as intended. Since then, he has appeared in a combined nine other games for NBA teams, including two for the Bulls, one in 2021-22, and his most recent on Feb. 5.
McClung has played 11 games for the Windy City Bulls this season, averaging 23.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per contest, shooting 51.7% from the field and 39.7% from three.
When people think of McClung, they don't think about the journey he's made since 2021. Chances are, most people don't even know he's "on" the Bulls. If you know McClung, you know him because of his dunks, whether that be from dating back to his days in high school in Virginia, or because of the past dunk contests.
As he told ESPN, he's felt like he's "under that cloud a little bit" of being just a dunker. McClung has been working to prove there is more to his game than that, so you should be able to understand why he bowed out of the dunk contest, even before his calf injury, although it meant the event wouldn't be electrifying like years past.
McClung gave fans a reason to care about the dunk contest again, but that's not his sole purpose. It's hard not to root for him, not just because he's in Chicago. Hopefully, he'll be able to change his story, so people don't know him simply because he's the best dunker in the league.