By JOHN MOOREHOUSE
Mac McClung is returning to the NBA.
The Gate City native signed a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls on Thursday, who had an open spot on their active roster after making multiple deals on the cusp of the NBA trading deadline.
This will be the second time McClung joins an NBA roster this season. He had a brief stint with the Indiana Pacers, where he averaged 6.3 points and 11 minutes in three appearances off the bench. McClung was inactive in two of the five games when he was on the Indiana roster. He was released by the Pacers Nov. 7, and landed with the Bulls’ G League team, the Windy City Bulls, which marked his second stint on that squad. McClung has had a huge G League campaign, averaging a career-best 27.1 points to go with 7.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
The Sporting News reported that McClung was set to join the Bulls in Toronto in advance of their game on Thursday night against the Raptors. That contest tips at 7:30 p.m., and you can watch it on Amazon Prime.
McClung is best known on a national level for his exploits in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, where he’s the defending champion and the first player to three-peat in the event.
This is the second time McClung has been on the Bulls’ roster. In addition to the stint with the Pacers, he had brief tenures with the Magic, 76ers, and Lakers.
McClung split his time in college between Georgetown and Texas Tech. Prior to that, he led Gate City High School to its first-ever state championship in boys basketball. McClung also set the Virginia High School League records for single-season and career points.
McClung revealed last month that he will not be part of the dunk contest this year.