Last Updated: February 19, 2023, 12:50 IST
Damian Lillard received the Three-Point Contest (AP)
Damian Lillard clinched the Three-Point Contest as Mac McClung received the Slam Dunk Contest crown on the NBA All-Star Game weekend
Portland’s Damian Lillard received the Three-Point Contest and unheralded Mac McClung captured the Slam Dunk Contest crown on Saturday at NBA All-Star Game weekend festivities.
Seven-time NBA All-Star Lillard, a member of the US Tokyo Olympic gold medal staff, was a school star at close by Weber State, including to his pleasure at profitable the long-range shootout in his third try.
“It makes it that rather more particular,” Lillard said. “They say the third time is the charm and I’m happy that it happened here. It’s a perfect situation. I’m happy I could do it in my homecoming here to Utah.”
The shocker got here within the Slam Dunk Contest when McClung, known as up from the developmental G-League by the Philadelphia 76ers earlier within the week, captured the dunk crown with an ideal rating within the last.
“It’s nice. I’m actually blessed and grateful to the NBA for giving me this chance,” McClung said. “I don’t get surprised by things like this but I’m very appreciative.”
The 6-foot-2 (1.88m) guard from rural Virginia had performed solely 4 NBA video games however from his highschool days was identified for acrobatic dunks and after accepting the trophy from Julius Erving vowed to defend his crown, one thing few NBA stars do.
“If you’ll have me I’ll be again,” McClung said.
McClung added his name to a history of dunk champions that includes Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Vince Carter and Kobe Bryant.
Among past 3-point champions were Larry Bird, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki, Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
“The best shooters in the history of our game, most of them have one of these,” Lillard mentioned of the 3-point trophy. “To be on this competitors a couple of instances and never have one, I simply needed to get it carried out a minimum of one time.
“I’m glad I bought it. Now I can retire from it.”
Tyrese Haliburton and 2020 3-point contest winner Buddy Hield, both of the Indiana Pacers, joined Lillard in qualifying for the final. It was Lillard who shot last and eliminated Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Utah’s Lauri Markkanen.
Hield began the final with 25 points but Lillard sank his last four shots from the left corner to score 26. Haliburton missed eight of his first 10 shots and finished third on 17.
McClung marvels crowd
McClung had the only perfect score on the first round by leaping over a man sitting on another man’s shoulders, tapping the ball on the backboard and making a reverse dunk.
“It was great,” he mentioned. “Getting my first dunk down felt actually good.”
McClung had the crowd roaring again with a 360-degree mid-air spin and slam to set the stage for the final.
Going for the trophy against Trey Murphy of New Orleans, McClung began by grabbing a ball being held aloft, then lifted it up, brought it down and made a reverse slam dunk.
His capper came when he donned his high school jersey from Gate City, ran to the hoop, did a 540-degree spin and made a reverse jam for a perfect score that made the crowd erupt and sealed his triumph.
The Utah Jazz trio of Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton and Walker Kessler won the Skills Challenge, consisting of passing, shooting and a relay course.
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