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The NBA dunk contest, presented by AT&T, was injected with a breath of fresh air last season in the form of Mac McClung. The high-flying guard who went viral years back for his sensational high school highlight reel left fans stunned with his dunk contest performance last season. After capturing the 2023 title, McClung will return for the 2024 contest.
Saturday's All-Star festivities will begin at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) with the KIA Skills Challenge, followed by the Starry 3-point contest. After that, the Steph Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu 3-point contest will take place, with the AT&T dunk contest capping off an action-packed night.
Ahead of the historic event, fans wonder about the prize for whichever player wins. The NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) dictates how much prize money the winner receives.
This year, the winner will be awarded $105,000, with Mac McClung sitting as a pretty heavy favorite going into the contest. At the time of publication, Mac McClung is the favorite with -275 odds, per the Bet365 sportsbook.
So, it would take a $275 bet to win $100 on McClung, with Jaylen Brown in second at +550 odds. In addition, Jaime Jaquez Jr. sits in third with +800 odds, and Obi Toppin, who won the contest two years ago, is in fourth with +850 odds.
Looking at the anticipation surrounding the 2024 NBA Dunk contest
The 2024 NBA dunk contest gained a new life thanks to Mac McClung's performance last year. Although there has been some controversy surrounding the quality of dunks in previous years, McClung shocked the world with some never-before-seen dunks last year.
Given that, there seems to be more anticipation and hype surrounding this year's contest, partially because McClung is back in action. In addition, this year's competition will feature Jaylen Brown, who will be the first All-Star to participate since Victor Oladipo six years ago.
Before Saturday's event, three-time dunk contest winner Nate Robinson, who is on-hand in Indianapolis as the Chief Dunk Officer, spoke to Sportico about the contest. As he explained, by increasing the prize money, the league could entice some big-name stars into participating.
“I think social media ruined it," Robinson said. "Guys don’t want to be on the shitty end of the stick when it comes to the memes and all the posts if you mess up. I don’t blame them, but you got to take the good with the bad. ... First place should be $1 million, then people would do it."
Whether or not other All-Stars follow in Brown's footsteps in the future remains to be seen. Regardless, ahead of the festivities tonight, it's safe to say there's plenty of anticipation regarding the event.
