The Dunk: A Sneaky Pinch or an Enigmatic Attempt to Make Me Think More About Me? An Empathic Attack on Physical Limits
A manifestation of vulnerability, intense clarity, power and ability, the dunk exists in a split-second span of decision making. The dunker toys with velocity and time itself. It is a reminder that basketball is actually intended to be entertaining, despite how serious and moneyed the game has become. In a league known for the personalities of its players, the dunk is the most signature move there is, because it is dictated by a player’s particular tendencies; it’s an autograph scrawled in the air. The dunk is one of the most photographed feats in basketball, even though it is not a three point shot nor a layup.
It was thought that the dunker turning the defender into a joke would make them think more about themselves. The sport has an iconography that includes the action. References to the move have entered pop-culture lexicons. Someone is to make fun of or criticize them. So often the dunk is seen as a humiliating gesture, but maybe it’s better to lean into the second definition. Dunking is an emphatic form of critique as it undermines physical limitations.
The Delaware Blue Coats: Who is Mac McClung? The first slam dunker that played basketball on the courthouse floor
Mac McClung, who plays for the Philadelphia 76ers’ G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, was not on an NBA roster five days ago.
The man was a viral high school slam dunker, still working his way to the League, but he needs to get the trophy asap to bring it back to life. Unreal,” Steph Curry tweeted.
“The crowd was really amazing tonight,” McClung told CNN’s Andy Scholes afterwards. It was a blessing. It’s really cool man. I will be able to tell my kids and brag about it someday. The goal is to play in the NBA. I will work every day. I am very hungry and resilient, so I will keep working.
For his first dunk, McClung jumped over a friend sitting on another friend’s shoulders, picked the ball out his hands, tapped the backboard and finished with a reverse slam for an instant, perfect 50 from the judges.
Such incredible dunks from the 6ft 2in guard drew the admiration of NBA legends, as he became the shortest player since 1986 to rack up three perfect scores, according to ESPN.
Meanwhile, Portland Trailblazers guard Damian Lillard won the three-point contest while donning his alma mater’s jersey – Weber State University. The Utah Jazz trio ofWalker Kessler,JordanClarkson andcollin Sexton won the skills challenge.
The 76ers’ fresh-faced point guard (who was just called up from the G League this week) was the undisputed star of the night. In every round of the dunk contest at Salt lake City, McClung bungeed his frame up to the net.
Who is he? A crowd of basketball celebrities quickly became his hype crew on the sidelines, filming him with sponsored phones and almost dropping their own kids a few times. For his already-established fanbase, the dunk contest just told the world what they’ve known for years.
What should we do now? It was only one night that the young man went from being a celebrity on the video sharing website to a household name. The “Who is Mac McClure?” write-ups are still going on as the internet recovers from the spectacle.
This year’s dunk contest winner Mac McClung of the 76ers found himself under a different kind of pressure to the basketball court on Friday in Philadelphia – working the counter of a fast food restaurant during the lunch rush.
Bouncing a basketball into a mini basketball net, serving up chicken fingers and occasionally dunking a ball into a miniature basketball net, was what McClung did to the fans who lined up outside.
Dunks in Philadelphia: A blessing for a kid from the era of dunks, and how I’m lucky to have been around
It capped a remarkable week for the 24-year-old in which he also signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, after playing for their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, this season.
“Since I won the dunk contest, things have definitely changed,” he said. “It’s been a blur, I feel like I’ve been running around everywhere It has been a blessing and I’m trying to enjoy it.
“I don’t think it’s set in, the players I’m going to be associated with for the contest,” McClung said. I think someday I will brag about it to my kids. Right now I can not digest it.
He said that it was a lot of his friends who came up with the dunks. We had a great time.