Sports
McClung wows in dunk contest; Lillard wins 3-point contest
INDIANAPOLIS — The names on the trophies didn’t change from year to year in either of the NBA’s main contests on All-Star Saturday Night.
Mac McClung, the G League journeyman who shocked the world with his dunk contest win in Salt Lake City last February, did it again in Indianapolis, beating Jaylen Brown by jumping over 7-foot-1 Shaquille O’Neal in the final round for a perfect 50 from the judges.
And in the 3-point contest earlier, Damian Lillard hit the last moneyball on his last rack to edge Trae Young for his second-consecutive win in the event.
McClung, 25, who has played a total of four NBA games in his career, won a contest that featured a second G Leaguer — Jacob Toppin, the brother of 2022 NBA dunk champion Obi Toppin. McClung, who also jumped over two people for a dunk, and dropped the ball while soaring to the rim before re-catching it and slamming it for another, put his high school jersey on Shaq’s massive frame, leaped over him and finished a reverse slam.
HE’S DONE IT AGAIN 🤯
Mac McClung is the back-to-back #ATTSlamDunk champion ‼️
Straight 5⃣0⃣’s#StateFarmSaturday on TNT pic.twitter.com/p2sBx7h2IM
— NBA (@NBA) February 18, 2024
“Shaq was so cool to put my high school jersey on,” McClung said. “Man, that almost makes you emotional that he would do that. I told him, ‘Well, you put it on.’ And he said, ‘You better not miss a dunk.’ I was like, ‘All right, I won’t miss it.’”
The two current NBA players in the dunk contest didn’t fare so well. Miami Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. was the first player eliminated, while Brown, an All-Star for the Boston Celtics, was booed after nearly every dunk in an apparent sign from fans that they felt his scores were too high for the dunks he executed, especially when compared to McClung.
Brown, the first All-Star to participate in the dunk contest in years, put “pressure” on McClung with his final dunk by putting a Mickey Mouse-sized glove on his left hand, then jumping and taking a ball off someone’s head with that gloved hand and dunking it.
With the left 👋🏾 pic.twitter.com/CvnPt23UVU
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 18, 2024
“I think ultimately (in) this media era, some players are afraid to make it into a meme or anything like that,” Brown said. “Like I wanted to come out and have fun with it, and that’s what I did.”
McClung, who now plays for the Orlando Magic’s G League affiliate, is the first back-to-back dunk winner since Zach LaVine in 2015 and 2016. McClung, LaVine, Nate Robinson, Jason Richardson and Michael Jordan are the only players to win consecutive dunk contests.
“This is my story, and I’m embracing it,” McClung said.
Lillard is the first back-to-back 3-point champion since Jason Kapono in 2007 and 2008 and joined Kapono, Larry Bird, Craig Hodges, Mark Price, Jeff Hornacek and Peja Stojakovic as winners of the 3-point contest in consecutive years.
He edged Young and 2022 NBA 3-point winner Karl-Anthony Towns in the finals, also persevering through a four-way tiebreaker in which the three finalists and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton, had to shoot for 30 seconds (normal rounds are 70 seconds) to advance out of the first round.
Towns went first in the finals and scored a 22. Young beat him with 24, and Lillard was stuck on 24 on his final rack until that last shot.
DAMIAN LILLARD’S 26 POINTS MAKE HIM THE BACK-TO-BACK #Starry3PT CHAMPION!
His last shot is the winner… because of course ⌚️ pic.twitter.com/OqcHpurcfE
— NBA (@NBA) February 18, 2024
“I knew, once I got to that three-point ball, the deep one, I could win it if I knock these down and just give myself an advantage going into my bonus rack right there before that last one,” Lillard said. “So I knew I had a good chance.
“When I got to the final rack, I didn’t know my exact score, but when I missed a couple, I heard the crowd just oohing and aahing. Once they kept doing it over and over, I knew I was still alive because I knew they would have stopped if it had been over for me. The next two balls, I missed again, and then I grabbed the next one and I knew I needed that to win.”
Sandwiched between the 3-point and dunk contests was the history shootaround between Stephen Curry and WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu, won by Curry. The annual All-Star Saturday took place on a brand new, forgiving, LED glass court developed by German company ASB GlassFloor, installed at Lucas Oil football stadium for All-Star Weekend. The floor changed colors, graphics and messages throughout the night.
STEPHEN vs. SABRINA WAS A MOVIE.
Sabrina Ionescu opened on fire and dropped 26… before Stephen Curry came through in the clutch to win it with 29!
Enjoy. 🍿 pic.twitter.com/Sz104f95FZ
— NBA (@NBA) February 18, 2024
The Pacers’ trio of Haliburton, Myles Turner and Bennedict Mathurin — MVP for the Rising Stars Game on Friday night — won the annual skills challenge, emerging victorious in individual rounds of an obstacle course, passing contest and shooting competition. Haliburton, who would later lose the tiebreaker to get into the final round of the 3-point competition, drained a halfcourt shot in a skills challenge tiebreaker to clinch it for the Indiana Pacers.
“It’s home cookin’, holding it down,” Turner said.
Tyrese Haliburton hit the halfcourt shot to win the Skills Challenge and then hit them with the Reggie choke sign 😂🔥 pic.twitter.com/TN0QoIYQYB
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 18, 2024
Required reading
(Photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
Sports
Victor Wembanyama puts hand on Jalen Brunson’s head, pushes him down as refs look the other way in Game 3
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Victor Wembanyama’s aggression on the court was once again called into question as the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks played Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
During the first half, Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson was trying to guard Wembanyama near the free throw line when the 7-foot-4 center put his hand on the back of Brunson’s head and shoved him to the court.
However, Wembanyama was never called for the foul and play continued with the Knicks in possession of the ball.
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks works against Dylan Harper and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs during the third quarter in Game Three of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 8, 2026. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Brunson immediately got into Wembanyama’s face, and it appeared the Frenchman was smiling before the point guard got back to business.
The incident was similar to one that occurred in Game 2’s win for the Knicks on the road, when Brunson’s backup, Jose Alvarado, went to box out Wembanyama. Alvarado, who has comparable stature to Brunson, was wrapped up by Wembanyama and thrown away from the play.
NBA RESCINDS MITCHELL ROBINSON’S TECHNICAL FOUL FROM GAME 2 OF FINALS AFTER REVIEWING SHOVING MATCH
Once again, no foul call was made.
The Spurs are known for their physicality, but many believed that Wemby should’ve been called for fouls in these cases.
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks shoots a three-point basket over Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs during the second quarter of Game Three in the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 8, 2026. (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
San Antonio started this game red-hot, owning an 11-point lead after the first quarter, 33-22. But these Knicks have consistently shown their ability to come back no matter the deficit.
After a second quarter run, the Knicks ended the locker room with a seven-point lead at halftime.
Brunson was a main reason why that was the case, going 5-of-11 from the field for 15 points with three assists and one rebound.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson reacts as San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama looks on during the second quarter of game three of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York on June 8, 2026. (Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images)
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As for Wembanyama, he was an efficient 6-of-10 from the field for 15 points of his own, while hauling in four rebounds and dishing out three assists.
The Spurs are trying to avoid a brutal 3-0 deficit in the best-of-seven series, while the Knicks are hoping they can keep momentum in the second half to have the chance at a sweep in their own building on Wednesday night in Game 4.
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Sports
‘It would be a fun year.’ Rams all for Aaron Donald returning to pair with Myles Garrett
Aaron Donald has made no public pronouncements that he will remain retired or return to play for the Rams.
But the three-time NFL defensive player of the year and future Hall of Famer remains a hot topic, and Rams players are aware of the buzz.
“When you have a guy that’s that serious about even considering coming out, it’s like, ‘OK, we might have a chance,’” safety Quentin Lake said Monday after the Rams completed an organized-team activity workout.
Chatter about Donald, 35, has been rampant since last week, when the Rams made another gigantic offseason move by trading for defensive end Myles Garrett.
The possibility of pairing Donald with Garrett — a two-time defensive player of the year — continues to intrigue both in and out of the Rams’ facility.
Like Lake, defensive lineman Kobie Turner insistently cautioned that whatever Donald decides to do or not do was his former teammate’s prerogative.
But the possibilities…
“To just have two historic, if you will, defensive players on that line together,” Turner said of pairing Donald and Garrett, “and to have the rest of us who are trying to build up our reputations, and to build to that level of greatness that they’ve been able to garner, I think that would be cool for L.A.”
Said defensive coordinator Chris Shula: “Would love to have him back — with open arms.”
Shula enters his third season overseeing a defense remade by the March trade for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, the signing of cornerback Jaylen Watson and the trade for Garrett.
With or without Donald, the Rams are regarded as a favorite to win Super Bowl LXI, which will be played in February at SoFi Stadium.
But the Rams are not hoisting the Lombardi Trophy just yet, Lake said.
“Some people say if he were to come back, just hand the Lombardi to us on a silver platter — but that’s never the case,” Lake said. “Is he a fantastic player? Yes.
“Are there so many things we could do in terms of pressures and blitzes and all that stuff? Of course. … It would be a fun year, I’ll say that.”
With quarterback Matthew Stafford — the NFL most valuable player — back to lead the offense, and McDuffie and Watson solving the team’s greatest weakness, the Rams already were regarded among the favorites to play in the Super Bowl for the first time since winning Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in 2022.
Then general manager Les Snead engineered the deal for Garrett, sending edge rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round draft pick and future second- and third-round picks to the Cleveland Browns for a player who has 125 ½ sacks in nine seasons.
Lake, Turner and Shula lamented losing Verse — “a brother for life,” Turner said — but they have welcomed Garrett.
“You give a great player to get a great player,” Lake said, “and luckily, we’ve got arguably the best defensive player in the NFL. … We’re not asking Myles to do anything but just be himself.”
Last season, Garrett amassed an NFL season-record 23 sacks.
Rams defensive end Myles Garrett sits between Rams general manager Les Snead and coach Sean McVay, right, during a news conference on June 2.
(Ric Tapia / For The Times)
“We’re going to let him do what he does best,” Shula said, “and we all know exactly what he does best.”
McDuffie and Watson were part of Kansas City Chiefs teams that played in three consecutive Super Bowls, winning titles in 2023 and 2024. Those teams featured dominating pass rusher Chris Jones, so McDuffie knows how a player such as Garrett enables the defense to “flip the script” and attack offenses.
“You just talk about mentality,” McDuffie said, “and a swag.”
Donald, who has 111 sacks, would certainly add to that.
Not every player in their mid-30s could return and play at a high level after sitting out two seasons.
“I don’t think you do that if you’re a normal person,” Turner said, chuckling. “But A.D.’s not a normal person.”
Sports
2025-26 NBA Finals MVP Odds: KAT Chasing Brunson Atop Board
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This year’s NBA Finals is a rematch of the last time the Knicks made it to the championship series, way back at the conclusion of the 1998-99 season.
In that Finals, the Spurs defeated the Knicks in five games. Now, New York gets a shot to get its lick back, nearly 30 years later.
Regardless, whichever team wins this series will need huge performances from its star players.
Let’s check out the odds for NBA Finals MVP as of June 8 at FanDuel Sportsbook.
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.
2025-26 NBA Finals MVP
Jalen Brunson: +115 (bet $10 to win $21.50 total)
Karl-Anthony Towns: +165 (bet $10 to win $26.50 total)
Victor Wembanyama: +380 (bet $10 to win $48 total)
Before the Finals began, anyone not named Wembanyama or Brunson didn’t appear to have much of a chance at this award, at least according to the early odds.
However, now that New York is up 2-0, its second star, Karl-Anthony Towns, has crashed the party.
Towns has moved to second on the board after playing Wemby to a standstill through two games. In Game 2, KAT had 21 points (8-for-12 shooting), 13 rebounds and four assists. The Knicks won by one.
Brunson put up 20 points in Game 2, but was 7-for-25 from the field. He also had four turnovers.
Wembanyama finished Game 1 with 26 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. In Game 2, he had 29 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
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