Mac McClung

Mac McClung
Born	Matthew Ford McClung (1999-01-06) January 6, 1999 Gate City, Virginia, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2018–present

Matthew Ford "Mac" McClung (born January 6, 1999) is an American professional basketball athlete who most recently played for the Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association (NBA) under a two-way contract with the Osceola Magic of the NBA G League. His collegiate career included stints with the Georgetown Hoyas and the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Recognized as a consensus three-star recruit, he ranked among Virginia's premier high school talents. McClung is distinguished as one of only two players—alongside Nate Robinson—to capture three NBA Slam Dunk Contest titles, and uniquely, he achieved this feat in three consecutive years.

Despite going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, McClung competed in the 2021–22 NBA season with both the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. During that period, he secured the 2021–22 NBA G League Rookie of the Year accolade while playing for the South Bay Lakers. The following season, 2022–23, saw him join the Delaware Blue Coats before signing with the Philadelphia 76ers in February 2023. McClung claimed victory in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and was honored as the 2024 NBA G League MVP.

Early life

Raised in Gate City, Virginia, a small community near the border between Tennessee and Virginia, McClung initially engaged in football, which held greater local popularity than basketball. From an early age, his family recognized his intense competitive spirit, noting his relentless drive in daily activities. His parents constructed a basement gym primarily for his sister Anna’s use; however, McClung frequently utilized this space despite occasional restrictions due to his vigorous training habits.

His formal basketball involvement began prior to seventh grade when his mother signed him up for a neighborhood youth league. Scott Vermillion, his high school coach, remembered McClung’s immediate commitment to basketball. After completing his freshman year, he shifted his focus away from football to pursue a career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). An eighth-grade snowboarding accident inadvertently improved his shooting mechanics, which he further developed under former Gate City coach Greg Ervin.

High school career

At Gate City High School, McClung started dunking by his sophomore year, quickly gaining attention for his explosive athleticism. Described by MaxPreps as "one of the nation's most electrifying players," he delivered a career-best 64-point game during his junior year at the 2017 VHSL Region 2A West tournament—setting a school record and achieving the highest single-game scoring total by a Virginia public school player since 1984. That season, he averaged 29 points, 5.5 assists, and 3 steals per contest and earned Southwest Virginia Boys' Basketball Player of the Year honors from the Bristol Herald Courier. Initially, he committed to play collegiate basketball at Rutgers.

In his senior season opener on December 12, McClung scored an impressive 47 points during a commanding victory; Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing was in attendance. On January 11, 2018, responding to doubts regarding his anticipated role at Georgetown, he posted 44 points at the Arby's Classic tournament. Throughout the 2018 VHSL regional playoffs, McClung surpassed Allen Iverson’s single-season scoring record by accumulating 948 points in fewer games. He propelled Gate City to its inaugural state championship by delivering a record-setting 47-point performance in the final matchup—exceeding former NBA player JJ Redick’s VHSL scoring record for a championship game. Concluding that season with a total of 1,153 points, he established a VHSL all-classes career scoring record at 2,801 points and was again named Southwest Virginia Player of the Year. Additionally, McClung captured first place in the slam dunk contest at the Ballislife All-American Game.

Recruitment

Prior to his senior year of high school, on October 6, 2017, McClung withdrew his commitment from Rutgers. A little over a week later, he pledged to play for Georgetown.

Georgetown (2018–2020)

On December 22, 2018, McClung notched a freshman season-best 38 points during a 102–94 victory over Little Rock. Throughout his freshman campaign, he posted averages of 13.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and two assists per contest, topping all Big East Conference freshmen in scoring and earning a spot on the Big East All-Freshman Team. In February 2020, during his sophomore year, he missed multiple games due to a foot injury and appeared in only 21 games, averaging 15.7 points, 2.4 assists, and 1.4 steals across 27 minutes per game. Following the season's conclusion, McClung declared for the 2020 NBA draft with an NCAA-certified agent to preserve his eligibility but withdrew on May 13 and subsequently entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Texas Tech (2020–2021)

McClung transferred from Georgetown to Texas Tech on May 27, 2020, and was granted immediate eligibility via waiver on October 30. He made his debut on November 25 by scoring 20 points in a commanding 101–58 win against Northwestern State. During his junior year, he averaged 15.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.

In April 2021, McClung entered the transfer portal again while declaring for the 2021 NBA draft. By May, he confirmed his decision to remain in the draft and relinquished any remaining college eligibility.

South Bay Lakers (2021)

After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, McClung joined the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2021 NBA Summer League and signed with the franchise on August 10, 2021. He was waived on October 13 but then signed with the South Bay Lakers, the Lakers’ NBA G League affiliate, on October 23. In his debut for South Bay on November 5, McClung led with a performance of 24 points, nine assists, and six rebounds in a 112–105 victory over the NBA G League Ignite.

Chicago / Windy City Bulls (2021–2022)

McClung inked a 10-day contract with the Chicago Bulls on December 22, 2021, followed by a second 10-day agreement on January 1, 2022. On January 4, he was assigned to their NBA G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, where he debuted with 19 points and nine assists. He was recalled to Chicago’s main roster on January 6.

Return to South Bay (2022)

Upon expiration of his two short-term contracts, McClung rejoined the South Bay Lakers on January 11, 2022. His outstanding contributions earned him the title of the league’s NBA G League Rookie of the Year Award for the 2021–22 season.

Los Angeles Lakers (2022)

On April 9, 2022, following an impressive G League stint averaging 21.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game, McClung secured a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers declined his $1.62 million qualifying offer on June 29, rendering him an unrestricted free agent. He participated in the California Classic as part of the 2022 NBA Summer League.

After appearing in two games with Los Angeles’ summer league team, McClung joined the summer roster of the Golden State Warriors. On July 22, 2022, he signed a one-year non-guaranteed deal with Golden State but was waived on October 3.

Delaware Blue Coats / Philadelphia 76ers (2022–2023)

McClung inked an Exhibit 10 deal with the Philadelphia 76ers on October 9, 2022, but was released the following day. Subsequently, he joined the NBA G League's Delaware Blue Coats for the 2022–23 campaign and earned selection to the G League's first-ever Next Up Game.

On February 14, 2023, McClung secured a two-way contract with the 76ers. Just four days later, he captured the title at the 2023 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, impressing judges with near-perfect scores. By April 7, he played a key role in leading the Blue Coats to win the NBA G League championship.

In Philadelphia’s concluding regular-season matchup on April 9, McClung came close to achieving a triple-double by posting 20 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, aiding in a decisive 134–105 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

Orlando / Osceola Magic (2023–2025)

On September 13, 2023, McClung signed with the Orlando Magic but was waived on October 21. He then joined the Osceola Magic on November 2. On February 17, 2024, McClung claimed his second consecutive victory in the 2024 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, joining an exclusive group that includes Michael Jordan and Zach LaVine. Notably, he became the first G League player to win this contest, having been called up by the 76ers just one day before last year’s event. On April 5, his outstanding performance throughout 27 games—averaging 25.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists with eight games scoring over 30 points—earned him the NBA G League MVP honor.

McClung re-signed with the Orlando Magic on September 20, 2024; his Exhibit 10 contract was converted into a two-way contract on October 19. On February 15, 2025, he made history by winning the 2025 NBA Slam Dunk Contest for a third straight year, receiving perfect scores of 50 on every dunk. This achievement marked him as the first player ever to secure three consecutive dunk contest titles and placed him alongside Nate Robinson as one of only two players to win three times.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| | style="text-align:left;"| Chicago | 1 || 0 || 3.0 || 1.000 || || || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 2.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 1 || 0 || 22.0 || .400 || .333 || 1.000 || 3.0 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 6.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 2 || 0 || 20.5 || .450 || .364 || .600 || 5.0 || 4.5 || .0 || .0 || 12.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Orlando | 2 || 0 || 5.0 || .000 || .000 || || .5 || 1.5 || .0 || .0 || .0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 6 || 0 || 12.7 || .429 || .333 || .667 || 2.3 || 2.2 || .2 || .2 || 5.5

College

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19 | style="text-align:left;"| Georgetown | 29 || 29 || 26.4 || .392 || .277 || .798 || 2.6 || 2.0 || .8 || .1 || 13.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20 | style="text-align:left;"| Georgetown | 21 || 20 || 26.8 || .394 || .323 || .802 || 3.1 || 2.4|| 1.4|| .2|| 15.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21 | style="text-align:left;"| Texas Tech | 29|| 29|| 30.2|| .419|| .343|| .793||2.7||2.1|| .8|| .3||15.5 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career |79||78||27.9||.403||.313||.797||2.8||2.2||1.0||.2||14.7

Personal life

Mac McClung is the son of Marcus and Lenoir McClung, who first connected while attending Virginia Tech—Marcus as a football player and Lenoir as a cheerleader. Marcus pursued a career in law, eventually serving as the Commonwealth Attorney for Scott County, Virginia, while Lenoir worked as a driver's education instructor. During Mac’s early years, his father took on the role of his coach, fostering his athletic growth and facilitating his involvement with an AAU travel team based in Richmond.

His sister Anna holds the record for all-time goals scored in VHSL soccer and competed collegiately at Florida State and Tennessee. Additionally, his uncle Seth played professionally in Major League Baseball with two franchises. Cousins Correne and Colette Bredin participated in Division I collegiate hockey and professional leagues, with Correne also representing Canada on the international stage. Despite rapper Riff Raff's assertions of family ties, McClung has publicly refuted any familial connection.