Less than two weeks after signing his first full NBA deal with the Indiana Pacers, Mac McClung is reportedly without a team again. The three-time NBA dunk contest winner has reportedly been waived by the Pacers, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday.
The move comes 10 days after Indiana signed McClung to a multiyear deal, his first full deal in the league. McClung, who has played for five different NBA organizations, had previously only signed training camp contracts and two-way contracts.
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The Pacers signed McClung amid a series of injuries, including to star Tyrese Haliburton (who is out for the season with an Achilles injury) and guards Andrew Nembhard and T.J. McConnell.
McClung played in three games for the Pacers — all losses — during his short tenure there, averaging 6.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals off the bench. McClung played 13 minutes and 19 minutes in the first two games, respectively, but only played 2 minutes in his final appearance, a brutal last-second loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday.
McClung, who joined the league in 2021 after going undrafted, emerged from near obscurity in 2023 after winning the dunk contest. He won again in 2024 before becoming the first NBA player to three-peat with a win in 2025.
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Despite his dunk contest success, McClung has struggled to gain traction in the NBA. He has only played nine games in the league, spending most of his time in the G League over the past four years.
Prior to being waived, McClung told The Athletic this week he was emotional after signing the contract with Indiana.
“I got in my car, and I couldn’t help but get emotional. I was just like, man, it’s been five years trying to chase a contract. So it’s a really beautiful moment where I just thought about all the people who have been along with me for it,” McClung said.
Now, though, he will have to start over again.
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