In the 1992 classic film, White Men Can’t Jump, Woody Harrelson plays the role of Billy Hoyle. A short, white, basketball hustler that makes his living on the fact that everyone underestimates his abilities.

Last weekend, at the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Matthew “Mac” McClung went Billy Hoyle on the entire viewing world.

The NBA Slam Dunk Contest used to feature such stars as Michael Jordan, Vince Carter, and Kobe Bryant. McClung was only eligible because he basically signed a 10-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers – with a locker still waiting for him back in the G-League.

As a matter of fact, McClung had only played in two NBA games in his entire career. One game with the Chicago Bulls, one game with the Los Angeles Lakers, and the rest of his time with the South Bay Lakers and the Delaware Blue Coats. McClung’s NBA stats – 25 minutes, 8 points, and 1 assist – and that’s cumulative, not his average.

McClung was hardly a standout at Georgetown and Texas Tech, and at a baby-faced, 6’2 and 185 pounds – he looks a lot more like Billy Hoyle than he does former dunk champion, Dwight Howard.

But man, can he DUNK!

The best of the night – a leap over two men, one sitting on the shoulders of the other, tap the backboard, reverse jam.

McClung took home $100,000 for winning the dunk contest, which was ironically, only a few dollars less than he had made thus far in his brief professional career ($106,352). But more importantly, in a contest that has gone from Zach Lavine, Blake Griffin, and Dominique Wilkins – to now featuring Kenyon Martin Jr., Trey Murphy III, and Jericho Sims…

Mac McClung just saved the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Vince (Half Man – Half Amazing) Carter, Donovan (Spida) Mitchell, Kenny (Sky) Walker, Kobe (The Black Mamba) Bryant, and many more Slam Dunk Champions had nicknames.

It’s time to give Mac McClung one.

• McFly – Based on the Back to the Future character. McClung is short, white, baby-faced, but with a 43.5” vertical – he can really fly.
• The OG of IG – McClung’s use of social media is what really got him to the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. So, whether McClung is The Face of Facebook, The Snap of Snapchat, The Glitter of Twitter, or the Original Gangster of Instagram – his social profile is important.
• White Chocolate Thunder – Darryl Dawkins, a 6’11, 270-pound, backboard shattering center – was the original Chocolate Thunder during his playing days with the Philadelphia 76ers. McClung simply makes it a White Chocolate Thunder. Although, White Chocolate was already a nickname used for former player Jason Williams – and it kind of sounds like a Starbucks drink.
• Little White Pill – The guy gets up like Viagra. McClung is like McSprung.

• Jump to Conclusions – Let’s be real. McClung is short, Caucasian, and as they said in White Men Can’t Jump – looks like Opie Taylor. We all assumed that he was the kid that slapped the backboard in the high school layup line because he couldn’t dunk like the other guys. Were we wrong!
• The Great White Hope – That sounds racist on the surface. But the nickname is not about race, the NBA, or trying to replace a heavyweight champion back in the early 1900’s. The Great White Hope refers to all of us short white guys – hoping to ever dunk a basketball in their lifetime.
• The Great White Hype – Let me know when McClung dunks in a real NBA game. Or actually plays in a real NBA game for that matter. Ja Morant would be pretty good too if he had that much downtime.
• Frequent Flyer – NBA dunk specialist, Derrick Jones Jr., is nicknamed Airplane Mode due to his hangtime in the air. Frequent Flyer has the same meaning, while also referring to his many flights to Philadelphia, Delaware, South Bay, Chicago, Golden State, and any other teams he’s trying out for on a 10-day contract.
• Gates City – In the Slam Dunk Contest, McClung put on a Gate City jersey as an homage to his former high school (Gate City High School), where he passed Allen Iverson as the state’s all-time leading scorer. But it’s more like Gates City, as in Bill Gates, the billionaire. Because after that dunk contest – McClung is living large and beginning to cash in.

Mac McClung – you keep McClinging onto that rim. Keep dunking with those Shaun White Double McTwist 1260’s. Stop McClanking shots so you can stay up here with the big team.

And we will love you like McLovin.

Images via Wikipedia.org, ebay.com, chatanoogatimesfreepress, theirishtimes.com, thechicagojournal, nba.com, mayberrywiki.org

Alan Tapley The Athletic Supporter

Alan Tapley is an educator, author, and blogger who has lived just outside of Boulder for the last twenty years.  His published work includes two novels, two children’s books, a series of cartoons in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and multiple sports related articles. His love for family and the state of Colorado is only matched by one thing, his passion for sports.  The first baseball game he ever attended was at Wrigley Field, before there were lights.  At the final Bronco game at the old Mile High, he allegedly cut out a piece of his seat in the South stands.  But regardless of being here for the Avalanche’s last Stanley Cup, the Rockies only World Series appearance, and all the Broncos’ Super Bowl Victories, his wife never fails to remind him that he wasn’t at the University of Colorado in 1990, like she was.  The year the Buffs football team won the National Championship