The NBA introduced this Tuesday night that rookie Matas Buzelis will take part within the 2025 Slam Dunk Contest on the All-Star Weekend in San Francisco this upcoming Saturday, February 15. The Bulls ahead will grow to be the fourth participant to enroll to compete on this yr’s competitors.
The 20-year-old will be part of two-time defending champion Mac McClung of the Orlando Magic, rookie Stephon Citadel of the San Antonio Spurs, and Milwaukee Bucks’ guard Andre Jackson Jr., within the infamous All-Star Weekend contest.
Buzelis, who occurs to be a Chicago native, will now grow to be the fifth participant in franchise historical past to take part in an NBA Slam Dunk Contest. The younger star will be part of Orlando Woolridge (1984, 1985), Michael Jordan (1985, 1987, 1988), Scottie Pippen (1990) and Tyrus Thomas (2007).
Matas Buzelis has ARRIVED. pic.twitter.com/H7cRuavgcx
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 5, 2025
Matas can be set to grow to be the third rookie of the group together with Jordan and Thomas to signify the Bulls within the dunk contest. Thus far this season, the 20-year-old has competed in 48 video games as a rookie, averaging 5.4 factors, 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 13.6 minutes per sport.
The Chicago ahead has recorded a team-high 39 blocks, a stat that at present ranks first amongst all rookie forwards and fifth throughout all NBA rookies.
The competitors is about to happen from February 14-16 in San Francisco, whereas the NBA Slam Dunk Contest begins at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, February 15 and the 74th NBA All-Star Recreation suggestions off at 7 p.m. CT on the ultimate day, which is Sunday, February 16.
Orlando’s Mac McClung returns to NBA Slam Dunk Contest hoping to attain historic three-peat
The reigning two-time champion is about to make one other look on the All-Star Weekend in San Francisco subsequent month, hoping to attain one thing that nobody has ever performed earlier than. Will the younger star be capable of declare the primary dunk contest three-peat?
The 26-year-old, who again in October signed a two-way contract in Orlando, has solely performed on NBA sport this 2024-25 marketing campaign, however has loved a continuing position of their G League affiliate workforce.
Standing at 6-foot-2, Mac at present holds the slam dunk title for dunking over 7-foot-1 Shaquille O’Neal in final yr’s competitors in Indianapolis. By leaping over the Corridor of Famer, he turned the fifth participant in NBA historical past to earn back-to-back dunk contests.
“Shaq was so cool to place that prime faculty jersey on, man, it virtually made me emotional that he would try this,” Mac expressed final February. “When he put it on, he mentioned, ‘You higher not miss it.’ I mentioned, ‘OK, I received’t miss it.’”
Despite the fact that Nate Robinson is a three-time winner of this trophy, nobody has ever achieved this feat consecutively. McClung, who led the G League in scoring with 25.7 factors per sport within the 2023-24 marketing campaign, was just lately named G League MVP for the Osceola Magic.