The NBA Slam Dunk Contest is one of the most exciting events in professional sports due to his flashiness and the impressive athleticism the participants display in front of the world.
The Osceola Magic guard Mac McClung became the first player to ever three-peat in the Slam Dunk Contest last February.
He got wings! NBA Slam Dunk contest needs this 5’9 former football player with insane max vertical
The 6’2 player dunked over a car en route to earning a perfect score on all four of his dunk attempts. Many will start including McClung in the “best dunker of all time” debates. “I definitely don’t think that’s something for me to say,” he said after winning the last contest.
Former football player makes a case to compete in the contest
However, some critics have argued that part of the problem for the NBA All-Star Game resides on the fact that a NBA G League player has won the Slam Dunk Contest in the last three years. According to some analysts, it says a lot when flashy NBA dunkers are not willing to participate in the event, letting rookies and ballers that do not start in the league be the stars of the show.
In the middle of this debate there’s some jumpers that could make the case that they could go head-to-head with anyone if they had the chance to be part of the Slam Dunk Contest. That’s the case of former college football player Riley Smith, who’s been recorded doing insane jumps with a 50 inch max vertical (he’s 5’9).
Smith, who played football at West Texas A&M, is a world-class sports performance coach and a high-flying athlete known for his explosive jumps and jaw-dropping dunks. He’s talked about the fact that he knew he had a jumping ability during his days as a wide receiver, where he even was named first team all-conference as he lead his team to a conference title and a bowl game victory.
Social media users are quick to comment about Riley’s impressive jumping ability, with some suggesting that he should be part of the Slam Dunk Contest. “I barely touch the rim at 5’10. And I thought I could jump.” posted an X user. “That was a dope jump.” said another one.
Who can elevate the Slam Dunk Contest?
Fans and analysts have argued about the fact that the NBA Slam Dunk Contest needs to have superstar players back on the event in order to elevate the show. The first name that comes to mind is LeBron James, one of the best dunkers in the game, who has said publicly that he does not regret skipping the event.
Other names that have popped up as possible participants are New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson and Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant., who recently hinted that he’s down to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest in the future.
Some fans have even dropped the name of sensational center and French superstar Victor Wembanyama, who needs to recover from an injury and get his groove back with the San Antonio Spurs before starting to think about dunking. And we can’t forget about the flashy Anthony Edwards from the Minnesota Timberwolves, who has given us some of the best dunks during the regular NBA season.
