Dunk Contest 2024 Champion: Dwight Howard Unveils Harsh Reality in Staunch Mac McClung Defense

Mac McClung has done it again! The G-League star became only the 6th player to clinch the Slam Dunk title twice. However, there was a lot of chatter throughout the night about how the dunks had been below par, leading up to the final attempt. One fan even claimed, “We want our money back.” But 3x Slam Dunk champion Dwight Howard had McClung’s back.

He wrote on X, “Ya don’t understand that everyone done did all the dunks you can think of what more ya want?  Congrats Mac.” Howard’s claim is somewhat true. Before McClung seemingly saved the dunk contest last year, there had been murmurs of a change in the format since players could not come up with too many new ideas. That became an issue this time as well.

While many of the dunks performed today could have gotten the full 50 years ago, that isn’t the case anymore as there is a lot of repetition. However, that shouldn’t take away from the quality of the latest dunk. And most of the dunkers today suffer from it. Until someone comes up with new ideas, we can expect more repetition of dunks. Nevertheless, McClung impressed this time around as well.

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The 23-year-old secured the victory by defeating Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown in the final. The only perfect 50 dunk of the entire night came when McClung used 7-foot-tall NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal for his final attempt. People watched with bated breath as the 23-year-old leaped over the Hall of Famer with a two-handed reverse dunk. And he wasn’t the only one to do so.

Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s windmill dunk on Shaquille O’Neal

Another highlight of the contest was Miami Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. He is known for his phenomenal dunking skills since high school. Not to mention, his skills shone throughout the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest. 

He pulled off a spectacular windmill slam dunk over the Los Angeles Lakers legend, earning a commendable score of 47.4 out of 50 from the judges. “In-game dunking is one thing, but a dunk contest is another. It’s about, you know, being creative and having good tricks and stuff like that,” said Jaquez. Consistently delivering impressive dunks, Jaquez has indeed contributed to the overall excitement of the contest. 

All in all, the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest proved to be thrilling with praise from some as well as mixed reactions from some others. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section below.

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