NBA Slam Dunk Contest champions: Mac McClung joins list with Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dr. J, more

Every dunk champ, from Dr. J in 1976 to Mac McClung in 2023

Mac McClung. Dominque Wilkins. Vince Carter. Kobe Bryant. Michael Jordan. For all of NBA history, these five names will be linked in one very specific way: all five, along with several other players ranging from legends to journeymen, were winners of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. And nearly all fans of All-Star Saturday Night would say that since the era when the iconic Hall of Fame players competed, the event had lost quite a bit of luster.

Enter McClung. The G League player with a long history of viral internet dunks stole the show with one of the better dunk contest performances in recent history. Luminaries such as Shaquille O'Neal and Magic Johnson are already saying that McClung saved the event and perhaps his example could help spur greater interest among high-profile players.

Of course, aside from McClung, we have no way of knowing who will compete in years to come. What we do know is who McClung will be joining in the history books. Below is every slam dunk champion in the event's history, starting with Julius Erving in the ABA in 1976 all the way through to McClung in 2023.

Year	Winner
1976	Julius Erving
1977	Darnell Hillman
1984	Larry Nance
1985	Dominique Wilkins
1986	Spud Webb
1987	Michael Jordan
1988	Micheal Jordan
1989	Kenny Walker
1990	Dominique Wilkins
1991	Dee Brown
1992	Cedric Ceballos
1993	Harold Miner
1994	Isaiah Rider
1995	Harold Miner
1996	Brent Barry
1997	Kobe Bryant
2000	Vince Carter
2001	Desmond Mason
2002	Jason Richardson
2003	Jason Richardson
2004	Fred Jones
2005	Josh Smith
2006	Nate Robinson
2007	Gerald Green
2008	Dwight Howard
2009	Nate Robinson
2010	Nate Robinson
2011	Blake Griffin
2012	Jeramy Evans
2013	Terrence Ross
2014	John Wall
2015	Zach LaVine
2016	Zach LaVine
2017	Glenn Robinson III
2018	Donovan Mitchell
2019	Hamidou Diallo
2020	Derrick Jones Jr.
2021	Anfernee Simons
2022	Obi Toppin
2023	Mac McClung

You might notice a couple of irregularities on that list. As the contest was initially an ABA invention, it wasn't adopted in its current format in the NBA until 1985. There was a brief two-year absence in the late 1990s, first in 1998, when the NBA attempted to replace it with the "WNBA-NBA 2Ball Competition," and then again in 1999 when the lockout canceled All-Star Weekend altogether.

The dunk contest has continued as scheduled ever since, though with its waning popularity in recent years, there was some fear that it could be in danger if something didn't change. Well, McClung might be just the change this event needed. He created genuine excitement around a contest that had grown stale, and it will now be easily the most anticipated event at All-Star Weekend next season. At that point, he'll attempt to become the first repeat champion since Nate Robinson in 2009 and 2010. See you in Indianapolis.