Mac McClung, the reigning #ATTSlamDunk champion, returns to defend his title against Jaylen Brown, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Jacob Toppin in the #NBAAllStar Saturday night!

Brandon Todd/NBAE via Getty Images.Mac McClung is returning to defend his NBA Slam Dunk Contest title, but this time he will have to face an NBA All-Star.The league announced the contestants for the 2024 event on Thursday, and McClung will battle Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, Jaime Jaquez Jr. of the Miami Heat, and Jacob Toppin of the New York Knicks.The NBA has also announced the competitors in the three-point contest and skills competition during All-Star weekend.McClung is a G League player for the Osceola Magic, but he made a household name for basketball fans last year when he put on an incredible performance during his Slam Dunk Contest victory at Vivint Arena, home of the Utah Jazz.He received straight 50s from the judges on three of his four dunks, completing all of them on his first try. He rapidly became a big favourite in the arena, leaving little doubt about who would win by the middle of the show.McClung did not, however, defeat a long list of All-Star players, including Kenyon Martin Jr., Jericho Sims, and Trey Murphy III.The Slam Dunk Contest was originally a star-studded occasion, with players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Julius Erving, Vince Carter, and others taking to the skies as the main event of the whole All-Star Weekend.

However, it has not recently included such talents, as seen by the last five winners: Hamidou Diallo, Derrick Jones Jr., Anfernee Simons, Obi Toppin, and McClung.Brown restores some of the missing star power. The Boston Celtics wing had three All-Star appearances and was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2022-23. He is a primary reason the Celtics are serious title contenders this season and will pose a significant challenge to McClung.Perhaps an even greater challenge than the incumbent champion faced last year.Jaquez is a rookie, and Toppin has only appeared in three NBA games. His brother, Obi, has already won the Dunk Contest, so perhaps he will bring some pyrotechnics for this year’s tournament.On February 17, the game will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis as part of the NBA’s All-Star Saturday Night. The evening will also include the Three-Point Contest, the Skills Challenge, and a special three-point contest between Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry and New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu.