Remember when the Slam Dunk champ Mac McClung made his Team USA debut?
SALT LAKE CITY (USA) - It's been a wild 12 months for Mac McClung, going from NBA debut to Team USA debut and now being crowned as the Slam Dunk champ. Will we see more of him with USA in the future?
SALT LAKE CITY (USA) - What a week it's been for Mac McClung.
He went from being a player in the G League to being signed by the Philadelphia 76ers. Then he signed a deal with Puma.
Then, the world witnessed as he won the 2023 NBA Slam Dunk contest with what many claimed as one of the best performances in the Slam Dunk content in a long while.
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Whether it was jumping over two people and tapping off the backboard for a reverse jam, double-pumping into a reverse slam while jumping over someone, or spinning around for a 540-degree (or 720-degree), McClung ended up with a (near) perfect run.
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"Make them remember your name," said Shaq to McClung. He certainly did.
Because it has been such an eventful week for the high-flying youngster, it might have already been forgotten that aside from being a social media highlight sensation in high school, at Georgetown and Texas Tech, and in the G League, McClung has also been a part of Team USA.
Count him out. Mac McClung doesn't believe in the doubt.
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 25, 2022
"I’m here to belong. I’m here to help."
Tonight, the @warriors guard makes his debut for the USA Men's World Cup Qualifying Team: https://t.co/PVtSVVACDD pic.twitter.com/euHPgrUENh
The 24-year-old played for USAin Window 4 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Qualifiers- his national team debut, helping the team grab two wins that are key to them being a step closer to qualifying for the World Cup in this upcoming window.
McClung scored 5 points in his debut in a 105-71 win for USA over Uruguay.
Now with the recent Slam Dunk champ title in his resume, McClung joins a solid list of players in recent years to have both won the Slam Dunk contest and play for the national team from Donovan Mitchell (World Cup 2019), Zach Lavine (Tokyo Olympics), and Hamidou Diallo (U19 World Cup, U18 Americas Championship) as well as many other legends in the past.
We've seen that both winning the Slam Dunk contest and playing the national team can always boost the confidence of a player to another level and maybe that can be the case with McClung who has had a dose of both opportunities.
Is it possible that we see him in a Team USA jersey again at some point in the future?
FIBA