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2023 NBA Dunk Contest Odds, Participants & Predictions
By Eric Rosales in NBA Basketball
Published:
- The NBA Slam Dunk Contest will be held during the All-Star Skills Competition Saturday night at Vivint Arena in Utah
- Mac McClung is the shortest participant and betting favorite
- Check out the odds of all the participants below and our best bet
At first glance, I’m thinking this isn’t exactly the showcase the NBA had in mind for the 2023 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest.
Long gone are the games biggest stars, followed closely by the promising up-and-comers. What we’re left with now is a 4-pack of players in various stages of an NBA journey, let alone a career.
Consider that the betting favorite, Mac McClung, was asked to participate while in the G-League, only recently called up to the affiliate Philadelphia 76ers.
Can this group bring the dunk contest back to at least LaVine-Gordon levels of 2016? Hopes aren’t high, but let’s break down this field and pick a winner.
It all gets underway Saturday night at 10pm ET, from Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, home of the Jazz.
2023 NBA Slam Dunk Contest Odds
| Contestant | Team | Height | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mac McClung | Philadelphia 76ers | 6’2″ | +125 |
| Jericho Sims | New York Knicks | 6’9″ | +240 |
| Kenyon Martin Jr | Houston Rockets | 6’7″ | +250 |
| Trey Murphy III | New Orleans Pelicans | 6’8″ | +330 |
Odds as of February 17th at DraftKings. Claim the DraftKings promo code to bet on the Slam Dunk Contest.
The format is the same as last year, where each participant gets judged on two dunks in the first round. They get 90 seconds and three attempts per dunk. Top two scores advance to the final round. The same format is followed in the final, with each getting scored on two more dunks.
In the event of a tie after the Final Round, a one-dunk dunk-off will take place to determine the champion. If it’s still tied, a champion will be determined by the judges, who will pick their winner by raising a card with the dunker’s name on it.
Mac McClung Betting Analysis
This guy has two total NBA games under his belt. I find it hard to believe that Mac McClung is the betting favorite. He’s by far the shortest player in the field, which could work to his advantage, as does a high school mix tape that showed some decent hops back in the day.
What he has going for him is hunger. McClung has turned down many offers to hoop abroad, trying to make his way into the NBA.
If anything, this is free ad space, where he can showcase the athleticism that is needed to compete at this level.
The good news is he’s at least preparing. In an interview, McClung said he has at least two dunks in his bag that have yet to be showcased in a dunk contest. Here’s hoping he brings them out early, and hits them on first attempt.
Jericho Sims Betting Outlook
Teammate Obi Toppin won last year, so the Knicks could be the home of the back-to-back slam dunk champs. Sims is the most freakishly athletic of the bunch, standing at 6-for-10 with a 44.5-inch vertical leap under his belt from the 2019 NBA Draft combine.
The big man has started 16 games for the Knicks this year, logging just 15 minutes a night, averaging 3.7 points and 4.9 rebounds.
JERICHO SIMS CAUGHT A BODY ON THIS DUNK 😳 pic.twitter.com/P45NRvSRBC
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 8, 2021
His biggest endorsement comes from Chuck Millan, a dunk coach that’s worked with Toppin, Nate Robinson and way-back Knicks dunk champion Kenny “Sky” Walker.
Millan said he’s never seen anyone be higher above the rim than Sims, and watched the second-year pro pull out a couple of dunks he’s never seen done before.
Kenyon Martin Jr Betting Analysis
It’s not easy trying to climb out of the shadows of your pops, who just happened to be a no. 1 overall pick. Kenyon Martin Jr is coming along, albeit in a losing mess in Houston, where the Rockets are just trying to see what they have going forward.
Kenyon Martin Jr. packt Domantas Sabonis AUFS POSTER! 😤 pic.twitter.com/NiXNLuukdE
— NBA Germany (@NBA_de) February 7, 2023
Martin Jr has showcased some pretty good athleticism at the pro level, snatching a couple of bodies in his third year, where he’s playing 25 minutes a night.
He has the prototypical build of the great dunkers: 6’6″ and athletic, with that power finish that used to be the trademark of his power-forward pops.
Trey Murphy III Betting Outlook
For a guy that never dunked until a senior in high school, the 22-year-old is now on the main stage. For one night, he can move out of the shadows of Zion and Brandon Ingram, and away from his steady 3-and-D presence for the Pelicans.
While he says he’s eager to showcase his dunk repertoire, Murphy III will need a lot of flair and hops to make noise in Utah.
2023 NBA Slam Dunk Contest Prediction
This is a bet on athleticism, and I see Sims and Martin Jr battling it out in the final round.
In the history of the dunk contest, though, only three players: Dwight Howard (6’10”), Tobbin (6’9″) and Blake Griffin (6’9″) have ever won this competition at 6’9″ or taller. The Knicks’ big man will try to make it a fourth.
Unfortunately, Sims will likely run out of tricks, and we’ll likely all be hoping for this to be over.
Pick:
- Martin Jr (+250)
Eric Rosales
Sports Writer & Editor
Having worked in and around sports since 1997, Eric is truly a knowledgeable expert. The two-time journalism grad specializes in all things NBA and NFL. From TSN.ca to CTV's Olympic Broadcast Consortium, Eric's work has appeared in local and national publications alike.
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