Nearly 50 years ago, NBA players participated in a season-long event.
Names like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, and Elvin Hayes would participate in a one-off during halftime of each game throughout the 1976-77 NBA season.
No, it wasn’t a game of 1v1. It was the inception of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Indiana Pacer Darnell “Dr. Dunk” Hillman earned his nickname by defeating Larry McNeil to win the contest’s inaugural title.
The dunks in the late 1970s garnered an electrifying reaction from the crowd. The NBA did not start tracking dunks until the 1996-97 NBA season. There’s no concrete stat proving fewer dunks were attempted in the past, but just an eye test suggests otherwise:
- 2024-25 leading dunker(s): Giannis Antetokounmpo with 161, Rudy Gobert 158 (25+ games remaining)
- 2023-24 leading dunker(s): Giannis Antetokounmpo with 251, Rudy Gobert 248
- 1996-97 leading dunker(s): Chris Webber with 177, Shaw Kemp 166
Watching slam dunk contests from the 70s, 80s, 90s, or even Vince Carter’s iconic 2000 performance today might leave you underwhelmed compared to the electrified reactions of fans in those eras.
The new generation of NBA fans will look at any of those highlighted dunks and give a resounding “Meh.” Is it a fair reaction to the dunks from the late 70’s? Probably. The rest? Not a chance, but the fan is now wired to think such a way.
The Once-a-Year High Flying Mac McClung
Even since the insertion of Mac McClung, the NBA Dunk Contest was considered a dying event.
Fans’ frustration stems from recent contestants like Jacob Toppin, Trey Murphy III, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Cassius Stanley, who wouldn’t even qualify as ‘C-list’ NBA talent. With declining All-Star Game ratings, the NBA’s failure to secure star power for its marquee Saturday night event feels irresponsible, but it is understandable given what constitutes a perfect score.
McClung, with only five NBA games under his belt, has impressed at three NBA All-Star weekends with his amazing dunks. Anyone who can jump over 6-foot-11 Evan Mobley on a platform or clear an entire car, not just the hood — as Blake Griffin did — is sure to become a legend.
https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1163073074096476161
From now on, every dunk at the NBA All-Star Saturday Night might need to match McClung’s high standard.
What McClung has brought to this contest is simply amazing. While his performance was impeccable, it’s as if we are now living in a world where we have the expectation that every dunk needs to have a prop or for a player to get as high as the on-court entertainment who use trampolines to dunk. Michael Jordan’s take off from the free-throw line will now be considered a, “Meh”. Dwight Howard dunking on a 12-foot hoop will be a, ‘whatever’. Even Aaron Gordon’s under the legs, over ‘Stuff the Magic Dragon’ will be an ‘ok.’
Return of the Mac and the Revival of the Dunk Contest?
The future of the Dunk Contest is a bit murky.
McClung said in his post-event interview he’s unsure about returning to the event, but he’d consider it if invited back. It’s hard to imagine the NBA fumbling the back-to-back-to-back champion for a chance at a four-peat. It’s also hard to imagine a G-League player turning down a very realistic shot at winning another $100K.
As great as Mac’s performance was, G League players are not what people want to see. A potential bright spot for the future of the competition happened the night Mac hoisted his trophy.
Ja Morant and Giannis Antetokounmpo took to X, floating the idea that they would potentially participate next season.
https://twitter.com/Giannis_An34/status/1890975675982475674
Giannis humorously claimed he was hacked when talking to reporters, and we know Ja isn’t into dunking this season.
It’s difficult to see stars like Giannis, Ja, or Anthony Edwards participating in the dunk contest. If they did, it would probably change ratings drastically for a year, maybe two.
However, we turn to the issue of what a 50-point dunk now looks like. It’s using those props and overtly putting your body on the line. Stephon Castle’s dunk in the second round was better than Vince Carter’s in 2000, but he didn’t get a perfect score.
Athletics and dunk contest scoring get better every decade, but it seems like we’ve seen all possible dunks. It’s no real knock on Mac McClung. He single-handedly brought life back to the dunk contest, but NBA players might struggle to match his feats due to safety. The All-Star weekend showed that the NBA needs its players to step up their game across the board.
This means G League players and rookies might keep the contest alive, possibly leading to its eventual conclusion.
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