Mac McClung didn’t participate in the 2026 AT&T Slam Dunk Contest, but he still managed to become one of the weekend’s biggest talking points. After All-Star Saturday in Inglewood, McClung shared video of four dunks he said he had prepared for the contest: a reveal that quickly reignited the same conversation that has followed the event for years: the best dunker willing to treat it like an art form isn’t always the one the league can put on the floor.
McClung, a three-time defending champion dating back to 2023, had already explained earlier in the week why he chose to sit out. In his telling, the decision wasn’t about a lack of interest or a creative dry spell. He said he was told there were players who didn’t want to compete if he was in the field, and after hearing that “back and forth,” he decided it was best to step aside for a year rather than be the reason the participant pool thinned out.
That context is what makes the post-contest videos land with such force. McClung’s clips were framed as the dunks he would have attempted had he been in the competition, and they were the kind of attempts that underline why he’s become the contest’s modern standard: unconventional setups, high difficulty, and clean athletic execution designed for a live stage. So basically, the usual MacClung diet – Dunks we had never seen before….
Mac McClung reveals all the dunks he would’ve done in the Dunk Contest 😳 pic.twitter.com/cZ0RDG1tXB
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 15, 2026
It also sets up the uncomfortable part for the NBA. This year’s contest still produced a deserving winner; Miami Heat forward Keshad Johnson beat Spurs rookie Carter Bryant for the title, but McClung’s reveal immediately created a parallel highlight reel of “what could have been,” and it’s hard for the league to argue that’s good for the event.
And yes, it’s a shame the situation reached a point where McClung felt nudged out by the politics of participation. Not because any one player is obligated to save an entertainment product, but because the dunk contest has been asking for years to be taken seriously again, and McClung is one of the few who consistently does. If the implicit message to the contest’s most reliable headliner is that his presence scares off potential competitors, that’s not a win for parity. It’s an admission that the incentive structure, pride, risk, reward, still doesn’t match what the NBA wants the dunk contest to be.
