By: J. Daniel Pearson
Since his early days as an all-state player at Gate City High School, Mac McClung has had a single focus in his life – becoming an NBA player.
And although he has had a taste of that dream, he’s back for a second year with the Osceola Magic of the NBA G-League as he continues his pursuit of making it to the NBA on a permanent basis.
As a G-Leaguer, McClung has accomplished just about everything imaginable in the world’s second-highest rate professional league. As a rookie with the South Bay Lakers in 2022, he won G-League Rookie of the Year, averaging 19.5 points per game. In his second year in the league, he averaged 17.4 points and 6.4 assists in leading the Delaware Blue Coats to the G-League championship. Last season, his first with Osceola, McClung –a fan favorite — led the league in scoring at 25.2 points per game and was named League MVP. He was also selected to participate in the NBA G-League Futures Game during All-Star weekend.
His first taste of the big league came when he was playing for the Delaware. On Feb. 14th of that year, he was signed by the Blue Coats’ NBA affiliate the Philadelphia 76ers to a 10-day contract. Although he only played in one game, he found himself in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest on All-Star Weekend just four days later – shocking the nation by winning the contest when 19 out of his 20 scores from the judges were a perfect 50, with a lone 49 being the other score. As defending champion last year he was invited back last year – winning the title again.
After the season he became a free agent and while McClung had several offers from other NBA teams he elected to re-sign with the Magic. “You are always are looking for the best fit and I firmly believe Orlando was the best place for me. I always trust my instincts and I love the ownership, Magic players, coaches, and staff. You’re treated like a family member here regardless of whether you are on the main roster or G-League. When you add in the coaching and basketball philosophy they teach, it just felt right to stay here.”
The decision has paid off in one big way.
During pre-season camp, the Orlando Magic extended one of three permissible “Two-Way” contracts to McClung which means he can move freely between the Osceola Magic and the Orlando Magic this season. He can play up to 50 regular season games with the parent club, although he would not be eligible for NBA post-season play.
That contract also comes with a significant financial reward. Players on Two-Way contracts are paid one-half of the NBA Rookie Minimum salary of $1.15 million – significantly more than the G-League average salary of around $40,000.
“It’s really nice, but the money simply doesn’t mean a lot to me in the whole scope of things,” McClung said. “I have done well with endorsements and sponsorships so money is something I don’t worry about. What the two-way contract really means to me is one less obstacle to play in the NBA. It’s a lot easier to move up two-way guys when there’s an opportunity than to rely on getting a 10-day contract offer.”
Although he is now considered one of the top stars of the G-League and will start in Friday night’s Osceola Magic season opener against Austin, McClung says he will use his second season in Central Florida as an opportunity to try to get better and keep the dream alive.
“I know some players in my situation would become discouraged after a couple of years and maybe settle for another career, but that’s not in my DNA. Basketball is the love of my life and I am not ready to settle for something else.”
At 6-2, McClung’s dunking ability was well known as early as high school and college and certainly has gained world-wide attention after his back-to-back titles at NBA Slam Dunk Contest. But McClung downplays that aspect of his game and also shrugs off the notion that his defense has been a liability in his career. “Fans always get excited by the dunk and it’s always something I’ve been pretty good at, but I feel I am much more than that as a player,” McClung said. “On the defensive end of the floor, I’ve felt that I have continued to improve every year in the G-League. I’ve worked hard this summer on every aspect of my game and will continue to do so.”
After being undrafted out of college, McClung had played in a total of five career NBA games with four different teams, including getting into one contest this season with the Magic. He said earning the Two-Way contract with the Orlando was “special” and looks forward to one day making the jump permanent.
Based on his determination, work ethic, and talent, the extremely likeable McClung is an easy player to root for.
OSCEOLA MAGIC NOTEBOOK
The Osceola Magic held its annual Media Day on Monday at the Kia Center, where McClung, Head Coach Dylan Murphy and other players met with the media to discuss the upcoming season…Osceola Magic will play 24 games at Silver Spurs Arena this season, opening at home this Friday against the Austin Spurs…Tipoff is 7 p.m. and season, as well as single game tickets, are available at www.osceolamagic.com…
In addition to McClung, the Magic also signed Trevelin Queen to a two-way contract…both players will open the season with Osceola….McClung and Queen were both in the top 10 in G-League scoring last year, with McClung leading the league and Queen ninth at 22.5 ppg…Both McClung and Queen wlll be in the starting lineup for Osceola on Friday… After splitting time between Osceola and Orlando last year, former first round draft pick Jett Howard is with the parent club and has seen significant playing time with the Orlando Magic this season…T
hree outstanding offensive players from last season — DJ Wilson, Kevon Harris and Daeqwon Plowden—signed with other teams in the off-season but head coach Dylan Murphy said he was not concerned with the void from the departures…Ethan Thompson (Mexico City Captaines) and Jarrett Culver (College Park Seahawks) are a pair of 20 point-plus G-League veterans signed in the off-season by Osceola Magic General Manager Kevin Tiller, who also signed Culver’s teammate Robert Baker (14.4 ppg)….
Which means Osceola will open the season with four players who averaged better than 20 points per game in the G-League last year…”Props to Kevin for bringing in some great talent. I joked with him that finding playing time and only playing with one ball might be an issue,” Murphy said. “But seriously, these are all team-first guys, so I am not worried about them coming together as a unit.”…
Osceola Magic President Hans Steinbrenner said he was excited about the second season at Silver Spurs…” Being a new product in the market last year, it started a little slow but you could see the interest and support in the community increase game after game,” Steinbrenner said. “We had a visible presence at a lot of events and fundraisers last year and will continue to build off of that. In addition, you are going to see a lot more fan giveaways this season and more cultural specific nights.”
