The final event of NBA All-Star Saturday in Indianapolis is the Slam Dunk Contest, which has lost some of its luster over the years.
However, there was plenty of excitement in last year’s edition of the dunk contest in Salt Lake City as Mac McClung captured his first title, even though he was primarily a member of the 76ers’ G-League team.
McClung is back to defend his title and is the betting favorite at -200, according to BetMGM.
The former Georgetown and Texas Tech guard is part of a four-player field that includes Boston’s Jaylen Brown, Miami rookie Jaime Jaquez, Jr. and New York’s Jacob Toppin.
Toppin’s older brother Obi won the dunk contest two seasons ago as a member of the Knicks.
Brown, the first All-Star to participate in the dunk contest since DeAndre Jordan in 2017, is the second betting favorite at +250, followed by Toppin at +600 and Jaquez, Jr. at +650.
Chicago’s Zach Lavine is the last player to win the dunk contest in back-to-back years (2015 and 2016).
McClung is favored for the second straight year to win this competition and we’ll have to wait and see what kind of tricks he’ll pull out this time.
Brown is by far the biggest star in the field as this event is normally reserved for bench players looking to make a mark. Long gone are the days when the league’s stars — like Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Vince Carter and Kobe Bryant — regularly showcased their dunking skills in this event.
Heat guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. dunks in the second half as Bulls players DeMar DeRozan, from left, Alex Caruso, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic watch on Nov. 20, 2023, at the United Center.
NBA Slam Dunk Contest pick
There is never a magic formula betting on a contest like this, especially when it involves judges, unlike the 3-point contest which is won simply on merit.
If you want to take a flyer on Saturday, maybe look at Miami’s Jaquez, who has nice odds to win and could pull out some creative dunks.
While he’s a rookie, Jaquez has some history with dunk contests. While still in high school, he won dunk contest against Philadelphia 76ers forward Kenyon Martin Jr. and Atlanta Falcons star wide receiver Drake London in 2019 by hitting a windmill, between-the-legs slam over two of his high school teammates.
Jaime Jaquez Jr winning a high school dunk contest against KJ Martin and NFL player Drake London pic.twitter.com/EDjhXFu4vP
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) December 4, 2023
“I think I got one dunk that you guys are gonna be surprised to see,” Jaquez said on Paul George’s podcast recently. “We got a lot of work behind the scenes being put into the creativity of all this.”
