ORLANDO, Fla. — Osceola Magic point guard Mac McClung dazzled at the NBA Dunk Contest, winning the historic competition for the second straight year. He returns to Orlando as a champion with a reputation for his elaborate dunks, but this facet is just a part of his story. He believes the rest of it is still unwritten.
Upon his return to Orlando, McClung was busy at practice with the Orlando Magic’s G-League affiliate Osceola Magic, while juggling commercial and promotional shoots with companies like Raising Cane’s. The fast-food chain filmed a commercial with McClung with the idea that he is also proficient at dunking chicken tenders into Cane’s sauce. Fans were able to meet McClung or even have the opportunity to be served by him “working a shift” in the drive-thru.
“I’m a back-to-back slam dunk champion. Of course, I dunk chicken into Cane’s sauce,” said McClung, reciting lines for the advertisement.
After the media attention, it was back to the gym for McClung. He put together a fantastic showing at the NBA Dunk Contest, scoring a perfect 50 across the board on his final dunk: jumping over Shaquille O’Neal who wore a jersey from McClung’s high school in Gate City, Va. An idea like this would be wild for many to think of, almost unbelievable to actually be able to execute, but anyone who knows McClung and his dreams they know anything can happen.
“I was young, I would say ‘I wanna do this that and the other thing’ and so they kinda came numb to it,” said McClung. “When I told them these things, it’s like a week later we’ll look back and be like, ‘man Shaq was wearing my high school jersey this is insane’.”
McClung says he is a dreamer with big ideas and visions for himself. Crafting show-stopping dunks, McClung says he draws inspiration from dunking professionals while getting input on FaceTime with his friends as he tests out new tricks. This process taps into the creative side of Mac McClung.
“I love directing films and writing poems,” said McClung, who enjoyed also being on the other side of the camera in commercials like the one he shot with Raising Cane’s. “I think everything in life is art, so I think basketball is art form where it’s nice to have an escape and have another art form that I like and I’m really passionate about. So, it all intertwines together.”
McClung was busy during NBA All-Star Weekend, not only winning back-to-back dunk contests but also playing in the Panini Rising Stars game. He’s become a dominant player in the G-League. This season with Osceola, the point guard is averaging about 25 points per game which puts him as a top 5 shooter in the league. He still had time to further tap into his creativity, creating a music video to recap the weekend to the song “Unwritten” by Natasha Beddingfield.
“It was our theme song throughout the week and we were making a video behind the scenes hoping it’d work out and we won,” said McClung. “I would definitely say it relates to me in a lot of ways. People want to make you a victim or feel like something’s not enough yet, but I’m still going.”
The lyrics “the rest is still unwritten” tell the story of McClung’s basketball journey thus far. He is proving that he is more than just a dunk champion and defying the perceptions others may have. He is out to prove himself to NBA teams.
“I’m having a great time now. I’m playing the game I love,” said McClung. “I’m so hungry I want to play against the best players in the world more than anything, but I’m not gonna be happy once I get that. I’m good now and I’m gonna keep chasing. I’m not gonna quit.”
The Osceola Magic will hand out Mac McClung dunking bobbleheads to the first 1,000 fans who attend their game on March 3.