Texas Tech University Athletics
McClung to shine during 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend
February 15, 2023 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK, Texas – Mac McClung is about to elevate – on the court and his national profile.
McClung, who played at Texas Tech during the 2020-21 season, is set to compete all three days during the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City. His schedule includes playing in the Jordan Rising Stars Game on Friday, showcasing his athleticism in the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday and then participating in NBA G League Next Up Game on Sunday. All three will put his prolific skills on display for a national audience with the Jordan Rising Stars being televised at 8 p.m. on Friday on TNT, the dunk contest starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday on TNT and the G League All-Star Game will be at 2 p.m. on Sunday with an NBA TV broadcast.
A guard from Gate City, Virginia, McClung played for the Red Raiders for one season before turning professional. At Texas Tech, McClung led the Red Raiders in scoring at 15.5 points per game for the season and was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year along with securing USBWA and NABC All-District, All-Big 12 Second Team and All-Big 12 Newcomer Team Honors. A starter in all 29 games that season, McClung scored in double figures in 21 games with a season-high 30 points at West Virginia. He helped Tech to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after scoring 16 points in the opening round against Utah State.
McClung is currently on a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. He has played throughout the season for the Delaware Blue Coats, averaging 19.1 points and 4.7 assists through 24 games played. He was named the G League Rookie of the Year last season after averaging 21.5 points and 7.5 assists per game for the South Bay Lakers.
In the dunk contest, McClung is set to compete against Kenyon Martin, Jr., Trey Murphy III and Jericho Sims. The judges for the event will be: Jamal Crawford (three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year), Lisa Leslie (8-time WNBA All-Star), Karl Malone (14-time NBA All-Star), Harold Miner (2-time Slam Dunk champion) and Dominique Wilkins (9-time NBA All-Star / 2-time Slam Dunk champion). The four dunkers will compete in the two-round competition.
"It's been a lot of fun," McClung said in a profile article by The Athletic. "Just being with my friends and planning the dunks, us being on the phone and them coming here and us practicing. But it's a lot more stress than you think."
For the second straight season, Rising Stars will feature a three-game mini-tournament among four teams comprised of NBA rookies, sophomores and NBA G League Players. McClung and the team of NBA G League players will be led by 2008-09 Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year and 2011 NBA champion Jason Terry, a current Jazz assistant coach and former head coach of the NBA G League's Grand Rapids Gold.
All three games in the Jordan Rising Stars will be played on Friday at Vivint Arena with all three games will be played to a Final Target Score, which means the game will end on a made basket or free throw rather than time expiring. The two semifinal games – Game 1 and Game 2 – will be played to a Final Target Score of 40. The final game, featuring the winners, will be played to a Final Target Score of 25 to determine the tournament champion.
The 2023 Jordan Rising Stars marks the 28th edition of the NBA's annual showcase of young talent during NBA All-Star Weekend. The game debuted in 1994 and has been played each season with the exception of 1999, when there was no All-Star Game due to the lockout, and 2021, when participation was limited participation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The format has changed over the years. Initially, rookies played sophomores; then the USA squared off with the World. Now, the event features a mini-tournament with NBA G League Players joining the top first-and second-year players across the NBA.
McClung, who played at Texas Tech during the 2020-21 season, is set to compete all three days during the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City. His schedule includes playing in the Jordan Rising Stars Game on Friday, showcasing his athleticism in the AT&T Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday and then participating in NBA G League Next Up Game on Sunday. All three will put his prolific skills on display for a national audience with the Jordan Rising Stars being televised at 8 p.m. on Friday on TNT, the dunk contest starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday on TNT and the G League All-Star Game will be at 2 p.m. on Sunday with an NBA TV broadcast.
A guard from Gate City, Virginia, McClung played for the Red Raiders for one season before turning professional. At Texas Tech, McClung led the Red Raiders in scoring at 15.5 points per game for the season and was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year along with securing USBWA and NABC All-District, All-Big 12 Second Team and All-Big 12 Newcomer Team Honors. A starter in all 29 games that season, McClung scored in double figures in 21 games with a season-high 30 points at West Virginia. He helped Tech to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after scoring 16 points in the opening round against Utah State.
McClung is currently on a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. He has played throughout the season for the Delaware Blue Coats, averaging 19.1 points and 4.7 assists through 24 games played. He was named the G League Rookie of the Year last season after averaging 21.5 points and 7.5 assists per game for the South Bay Lakers.
In the dunk contest, McClung is set to compete against Kenyon Martin, Jr., Trey Murphy III and Jericho Sims. The judges for the event will be: Jamal Crawford (three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year), Lisa Leslie (8-time WNBA All-Star), Karl Malone (14-time NBA All-Star), Harold Miner (2-time Slam Dunk champion) and Dominique Wilkins (9-time NBA All-Star / 2-time Slam Dunk champion). The four dunkers will compete in the two-round competition.
"It's been a lot of fun," McClung said in a profile article by The Athletic. "Just being with my friends and planning the dunks, us being on the phone and them coming here and us practicing. But it's a lot more stress than you think."
For the second straight season, Rising Stars will feature a three-game mini-tournament among four teams comprised of NBA rookies, sophomores and NBA G League Players. McClung and the team of NBA G League players will be led by 2008-09 Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year and 2011 NBA champion Jason Terry, a current Jazz assistant coach and former head coach of the NBA G League's Grand Rapids Gold.
All three games in the Jordan Rising Stars will be played on Friday at Vivint Arena with all three games will be played to a Final Target Score, which means the game will end on a made basket or free throw rather than time expiring. The two semifinal games – Game 1 and Game 2 – will be played to a Final Target Score of 40. The final game, featuring the winners, will be played to a Final Target Score of 25 to determine the tournament champion.
The 2023 Jordan Rising Stars marks the 28th edition of the NBA's annual showcase of young talent during NBA All-Star Weekend. The game debuted in 1994 and has been played each season with the exception of 1999, when there was no All-Star Game due to the lockout, and 2021, when participation was limited participation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The format has changed over the years. Initially, rookies played sophomores; then the USA squared off with the World. Now, the event features a mini-tournament with NBA G League Players joining the top first-and second-year players across the NBA.
76ers' Mac McClung previews his NBA Slam Dunk Contest: "There's at least two dunks that I know have never been done in any contest." McClung sits down with @Stadium to discuss dunk contest preparation, rejecting significant overseas deals to pursue NBA dream, more: pic.twitter.com/I46P0fji9s
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 16, 2023
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