Ja Morant on Saturday got hoops fans excited with a simple message following Mac McClung’s third straight NBA Slam Dunk Contest win.
McClung stole the show during NBA All-Star Saturday Night by pulling off some never-before-seen slams at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. McClung’s eye-popping display of athleticism even impressed Morant, widely considered to be one of the league’s best in-game dunkers.
The Memphis Grizzlies point guard had fans buzzing with a post on X teasing his potential appearance in next year’s dunk contest.
“mac might make me decide to dunk,” wrote Morant.
The key word there is “might.” There’s a lot of time between now and when the NBA announces next year’s list of dunkers. Morant could easily change his mind and decide not to push through with it.
But even just the prospect of Morant joining the dunk contest would be huge for the NBA. While McClung has a dunk repertoire few in history can match, he’s not exactly a household name outside of All-Star Saturday’s main event.
Fans have consistently criticized the league for fielding low-profile dunk contest participants rather than bona fide stars every year. In decades past, top-shelf talent such as Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Vince Carter, Julius Erving, and Kobe Bryant were all willing to join the competition.
But over the last decade and a half, several athletic stars have declined to put their reputations at risk by joining the contest. LeBron James, Zion Williamson, Anthony Edwards, and Morant are just some of the names that fans have long hoped to see participate. If Morant does decide to join next year, McClung could end up being the dunk contest’s savior in more ways than one.
