NBA Slam Dunk Contest 2024: Highlights, Odds and Predictions for Participants
Mac McClung will try to become the fifth person to repeat as NBA Slam Dunk champion on Saturday night.
The G League guard stole the show at All-Star Weekend last year, as he beat out three NBA players to win the dunking crown.
McClung will defend his title against Jaylen Brown, Jacob Toppin and Jaime Jaquez Jr. in Indianapolis.
Brown is the rare established superstar to compete in the Slam Dunk Contest, which has been reserved for rising stars and younger players in recent years.
Toppin and Jaquez fit the mold of recent participants, but each player has long odds to win the event.
Slam Dunk Contest Odds
Mac McClung (-190; bet $190 to win $100)
Jaylen Brown (+420; bet $100 to win $420)
Jacob Toppin (+600)
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (+650)
Preview
McClung is the deserving favorite to win the contest because of his performance last season in Salt Lake City.
He will try to join Michael Jordan, Zach LaVine, Nate Robinson and Jason Richardson as repeat winners. Harold Miner and Dominique Wilkins each have two Slam Dunk wins, but they did not win those events in consecutive years.
McClung, who plays for the G League's Osceola Magic, has more expectations attached to him going into Indianapolis because of his title-winning dunks a year ago.
Brown is the most established NBA star in the contest. He has a long reel of highlight dunks that make him an intriguing challenger to McClung.
If Toppin wins, he will be part of the first set of brothers to take the dunk contest. His brother, Obi, won the event two years ago. Jacob Toppin spent the majority of his career in the G League. The aerial ability and length displayed in the G League should help him get creative with his Saturday dunks.
Jaquez does not give off the vibes of a powerful dunker. He was more of a finesse player during UCLA's Final Four run a few years ago and during his time with the Miami Heat. However, Jaquez has a nice reel of jams that could convince you that he can win the contest.
Prediction
1. Mac McClung
2. Jacob Toppin
3. Jaime Jaquez Jr.
4. Jaylen Brown
McClung will have all the pressure on him to win, but he proved last year that he has enough creativity to do so.
Toppin's length could help him convert on a few dunks that the other participants can't complete. Do not be surprised if he brings in his brother Obi, who plays for the All-Star host Indiana Pacers, for a dunk that gets him into the final.
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