The All-Star Saturday night had a lot of iconic moments and one such was Mac McClung flying over 7ft icon Shaquille O’Neal. This dunk was a special one to McClung for several reasons. He completed his dunk over Shaq, but most importantly, he also honored his high school, ‘The Gate City’. This fierce slam sealed the win for him as he got a full score from the judges. But, what you should note here was the pressure he must have had before dunking. A lot was at stake and McClung revealed how Shaq hilariously added more pressure. 

The 25-year-old brought out the Gate City jersey ahead of his last dunk. However, he was not wearing it. Instead, he requested the Los Angeles Lakers legend to remove his coat and sport the blue jersey. Shaq knew this was a huge moment for the young guard. To ease some heat off, Shaq told McClung, “You better not miss”. Well, that sounded more like a warning, but McClung did what he had to do. Just a reverse slam over the 4-time champion. 

McClung shared what he was thinking before the dunk. He told in an interview, “Really, the thought I was thinking was don’t miss the dunk. I can’t a miss a dunk. I don’t usually miss…I’m glad the outcome happened the way it did.”. Missing the dunk could have costed him the trophy and most importantly his hometown’s honor was at stake.

Anyhow, This dunk helped McClung beat Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown and now he is a 2-time Slam Dunk Champion. 

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He also mentioned that Shaq agreeing to wear his jersey made him very emotional. He shared after the win, “That was a shoutout to my hometown again. That’s what I did last year. I wanted to build on it”. Dreams do come true right? 

Mac McClung followed Shaq’s motivational words after his first dunk contest win

The hunt for winning accolades did not stop after the 2023 Slam Dunk Contest win. Right after that, Shaq called McClung and shared a few wholesome words. The Big Diesel told him, “Nobody knows your name. Make ’em remember your name”. The NBA has not been too sweet for the 25-year-old. He is aching for a chance in this famous league and he is willing to go to any extent for it. 

Shaq’s advice suits him the best. He has made people remember his name once again this weekend. However, there is a long way to go. Hopefully, McClung can shine brighter! 

Read more: “Reason Why Mac McClung Won”: Shaquille O’Neal Revealed What Set Dunk Champion Apart Before Back-to-Back Trophies

What are your thoughts? Would you like to see him in the NBA?