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
Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza wins 2025 Heisman Trophy
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Indiana University quarterback Fernando Mendoza became the first Hoosier to win the coveted Heisman Trophy, college football’s most prestigious award.
Mendoza claimed 2,392 first-place votes, beating Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia (1,435 votes), Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (719 votes) and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin (432 votes).
Mendoza guided the Hoosiers to their first No. 1 ranking and the top seed in the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, throwing for 2,980 yards and a nation-best 33 touchdown passes while also running for six scores.
Indiana, the last unbeaten team in major college football, will play a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game in the Rose Bowl Jan. 1.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza runs off the field after a game against Wisconsin Nov. 15, 2025, in Bloomington, Ind (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Mendoza, the Hoosiers’ first-year starter after transferring from California, is the triggerman for an offense that surpassed program records for touchdowns and points set during last season’s surprise run to the CFP.
A redshirt junior, the once lightly recruited Miami native is the second Heisman finalist in school history, joining 1989 runner-up Anthony Thompson. The trophy was established in 1935.
NO 2 INDIANA CAPS OFF COMEBACK WIN OVER PENN STATE WITH SENSATIONAL TOUCHDOWN, KEEPS UNDEFEATED SEASON ALIVE
Mendoza is the seventh Indiana player to earn a top 10 finish in Heisman balloting, and it marks another first in program history. It now has had players in the top 10 of Heisman voting in back-to-back years. Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke was ninth last year.
Quarterbacks have won the Heisman four of the last five years. Travis Hunter of Colorado, who played wide receiver and cornerback, won last season.
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Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza throws before a game against Wisconsin Nov. 15, 2025, in Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Mendoza was named The Associated Press Player of the Year earlier this week and picked up the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien awards Friday night while Love won the Doak Walker Award.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Sports
Prep talk: The Shaws enjoy a memorable basketball moment at Oak Park
Sometimes it can be difficult when a high school coach also has his son on the team, but then there are those unforgettable moments that make every second spent together magical. Such a moment happened on Friday night for Oak Park basketball coach Aaron Shaw and his son, sophomore guard Grant Shaw.
Grant made a three-pointer from beyond the top of the key as the buzzer sounded to give host Oak Park a 54-51 win over rival Agoura.
Then, for some unknown reason at the time, Grant ran in the opposite direction, followed by his teammates and delirious Oak Park fans. There were so many people celebrating he ended up pushed into the gym foyer.
Watching from the bench was his father, who didn’t understand why his son was headed out of the gym. “The coaches were asking, ‘Where is he going?’” he said.
It turns out the surge of people celebrating forced Grant into the foyer. His father reminded him afterward to perhaps next time stay in the gym.
But make no mistake about, Aaron has won two Southern Section titles as a coach, and this moment ranks up among the best.
“Proud dad moment,” he said.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sports
Navy tops Army with late touchdown as Trump’s attendance in Baltimore sparks protests
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For the second year in a row, the Navy Midshipmen have won the Commander-in-Chief Trophy.
The Midshipmen earned a gutsy 17-16 victory over Army in one of the greatest rivalries in sports.
Navy got out to a scorching-hot start, as they scored a touchdown on their first drive, with Blake Horvath rushing for 45 of the 75 yards on the drive and running in for the score. He also had an 11-yard pass.
President Donald Trump greets players after the coin toss and before the start of the 126th Army-Navy Game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen at M&T Bank Stadium, Saturday, in Baltimore, Md. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Army, though, answered right back with an identical drive, going 13 plays for 75 yards — this one ended with Cale Hellums punching one in.
Navy’s offense was stalled for a long while after, as their next three drives ended in a punt, fumble, and interception. In the meantime, the Black Knights were able to tack on three more field goals to go up, 16-7. Late in the third, the Midshipmen finally added more points on the scoreboard with a field goal that cut their deficit to three.
Early in the fourth, Navy forced an Army interception. Navy had the ball at the goal line but fumbled on a quarterback sneak, losing seven yards. Horvath hit Eli Heidenrich in the end zone, though, and the ensuing kick gave the Midshipmen their first lead since the first drive of the game.
Navy promptly forced a three-and-out and got the ball back with less than five minutes to go. Navy lost a fumble when trying for a first down that would have iced the game, but the play was reviewed, and the call was reversed. Thus, Navy had a fourth-and-1 and kept the offense on the field. They got the first down that iced the game.
US President Donald Trump tosses a coin before the college football game between the US Army and Navy in Baltimore, Maryland, on December 13, 2025. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski / AFP via Getty Images)
CHICAGO RADIO HOST RIPS CUBS PLAYER FOR TURNING POINT EVENT ATTENDANCE, LIKENS IT TO ‘NAZI-ADJACENT PEP RALLY’
With the win, Navy earned the Commander-in-Chief trophy by also defeating Air Force earlier in the year.
The game was its usual old-school ground-and-pound style of football, as there were only 24 pass attempts compared to 86 runs.
President Donald Trump attended the game for the seventh time, and his second in as many years since being elected again. Trump participated in the coin flip, but not before protesters wielded lewd signs opposing Trump on the street leading up to the stadium.
Protests were expected for the game in the blue city, as Trump has suggested sending the National Guard to Baltimore to help address the city’s rampant crime. Baltimore consistently ranks among U.S. cities with high crime rates, often appearing in the top 5 for violent crimes, especially homicides and robberies.
U.S. President Donald Trump (2nd-L) walks onto the field for the 126th Army-Navy Game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen on Dec. 13, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. The teams are competing for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, with President Trump attending the rivalry for the second consecutive year. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
The protests against Trump also come on the same day that officials said two U.S. Army soldiers and a U.S. interpreter were killed in an ambush attack in Syria.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
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