Group B of the $500,000 DunkMan League contest just wrapped. It wasn’t quite the highlight factory that we saw with Group A. Between a decent number of unofficial attempts, a couple of dunks getting missed under pressure, and questionably low scores, this was predictably one of the weaker rounds of the contest. Here’s my breakdown of how it all went down.
Dillan McCarthy Takes the Win
Dillan McCarthy came into Group B as a name a lot of people were already picking to win, and he backed it up. He’s only 19 years old. Stands under 5-foot-10, which makes what he’s doing on a rim look even more ridiculous once you know his background – this is a kid who tested 52-inch vertical. This after a knee injury in middle school and rebuilt himself into one of the biggest leapers in the sport. By nothing but relentless, unconventional training. That underdog story is a big part of why his win in this round hit as hard as it did for the fans watching live.
The Contenders Who Almost Got There
Dillan wasn’t the only story of the round. Tyler Currie looked primed for a big win coming into the contest before it slipped away, and Jonathan Clark surprisingly missed both of his dunks in the finals — the kind of misses that sting more in a $500,000 contest than anywhere else. Avante Nichols had a phenomenal first round of 3 dunks, but like J Clark, could not make a dunk in the finals.
The Unusually Low Scores From Judges
One thing most people can agree on is that that the judging has been difficult to understand. There are inconsistencies, low scores, and questionable reasoning behind those scores. That being said, the judging shows promise by having clear criteria, and making it very difficult to score a perfect 10. This leaves room for improvement, instead of just throwing out high scores for every dunk.
Fans Are Loving the DunkMan
More than one comment compared this contest favorably to the NBA’s own dunk contest, and that’s exactly the kind of reaction professional dunking needs to keep building momentum. A $500,000 prize, a stacked field, and finishes this dramatic are a great combination for getting more eyes on the sport.
What’s Next
Group B is in the books, and Dillan McCarthy is through, along with Cam Hazzard from Group A. I’ll keep breaking down every group as DunkMan League continues, so drop your predictions for the finals in the comments and follow Dunkademics on TikTok for the next recap.