Basketball has always been a big part of Nate Dougherty’s life.

From his playing days at Palmerton to his time at Moravian University, the sport has shaped Dougherty into who he is today.

It’s also provided a foundation for his future.

Dougherty’s drive and dedication in both his professional and personal life were recently on full display at the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest, where he took the court to help friend Mac McClung secure a third straight title.

It was a historic performance for McClung — who opened by jumping over a car and taking a feed from Dougherty through the sunroof before finishing with a reverse dunk.

“So last year I was in two of the four dunks that we did, but this year definitely had the most responsibility,” said Dougherty. “And the most pressure, especially on the hoverboard and in the car. But I’m just very grateful and blessed that he gave me the opportunity to be out there with him. And I appreciate that he trusts me enough to come through for him on the biggest stage.”

McClung, an Orlando Magic G Leaguer, had four perfect dunks and became the first player to win three consecutive Slam Dunk titles.

He also jumped over Dougherty spinning on a hoverboard with a ball above his head in front of the basket before dunking a second ball from a ladder for a perfect score.

“I was most nervous for the car, just because I wanted to make sure, first of all, he was safe. And number two, I just wanted to make sure it went well because it was such a historic dunk,” said Dougherty. “But after he made that one, I was just very confident. And I honestly couldn’t wait to get back out there.”

It was an unforgettable experience for the Palmerton native, and one that he never takes for granted.

“It’s a really weird feeling because for so long you prepare for it, and you think you know what it’s going to look like and you think you know what the environment is going to be like,” Dougherty said of the event, held at the Chase Center in San Francisco. “But when you’re actually there, it’s so much better than you could imagine. And the crowd was on his side, and they obviously love these dunks. Just being there is obviously surreal.

“I think being there the previous two years kind of helped me prepare for it more. And honestly, this year I was just really in the moment and I was present, I’ll never forget it.”

It’s a journey and experience for Dougherty that has always been shared, and something that has always been about the people he gets to share those performances with more than anything else.

“The way Mac and I met was through my friend and business partner Danny Cooper. Danny’s a basketball trainer, and he’s been training since high school, and we played college basketball together,” said Dougherty. “In his senior year, my junior year of college, he told me he was going to train Mac in his hometown of Gate City, Virginia. He told me it was about an eight-hour drive and he was going by himself, so I offered to go with him. I actually had my professor move my final earlier and took it during her office hours so that I could go because it was during finals week.

“And ever since then, I’ve just become really good friends with Mac and Danny. We were with him along the way, all three years. This year, he wanted to come with something the people couldn’t be mad at, he wanted to shut it down. So we practiced for about the last four, five, six months, just making sure we put on a show for everyone.”

Dougherty also praised dunk coaches Chuck Millan and Chase Skinkis, who work with the players to help them come up with creative dunks.

“They helped me a lot, just how to hold the ball and how to position myself in the car,” said Dougherty. “We were in Orlando, we were able to use a gym, and Isaiah Rivera let us bring a car in, his car. We were in his car practicing and Chuck was helping me position myself, this was about a month ago, at least. It’s an effort from a lot of people, they played a huge role in helping Mac and I have success.

“It’s hard to practice jumping over a car because there aren’t many gyms you can get a car in. We only practiced it one night, but we got it three or four times in a row and we felt pretty good about it. And then Thursday night in San Francisco we got to practice on the court a couple times. With the hoverboard, I was literally in the hotel room for hours every day just making sure I got it down. When you’re out there, you just have to block out all the noise and the crowd and kind of just picture yourself in the practices and just make it about you and Mac and all the times you’ve practiced, all the preparation you’ve put into it, and that kind of takes all the nerves away. I think it worked out perfectly.”

McClung blew up social media with highlight reel dunks that left NBA superstars speechless with his performance.

“I think one of the things our friend group does really well is we just kind of are present with each other,” said Dougherty. “We’re just all about making memories with each other, and that’s what makes our group so special. And Mac’s very generous, and loves having us around. Danny and I, and his friend from home, we’re normally everywhere he goes.

“So we just always love making it about us. And we don’t really worry about the famous people around us, and we just like to keep it to ourselves. But got to meet Steph Curry and Giannis (Antetokounmpo) when I came off the court. They were really excited too. That was definitely surreal for me. But still, just trying to stay present and stay focused for the next dunks that I was going to be a part of.”

That mentality has put Dougherty on a path for a successful career centered around basketball.

“Danny and I run a basketball training company based in Philadelphia,” said Dougherty, who studied sports management at Moravian. “And we’ve been doing it for about two years now full-time. We mainly do group training, but I do some private training on top of that, and then I do a lot of Danny’s content for him and I’ll do content for Mac whenever we’re traveling with him. So, a little bit multi-dimensional, do a little bit of everything. But it’s all centered around basketball.”

It speaks volumes about the person Dougherty has always been, and the sport that has — and always will be — a driving force in his life.

“I always dreamed of playing in the NBA, and that was always my goal, but God has me exactly where I’m supposed to be, and I wouldn’t trade my experiences with Mac and Danny and the rest of our group for anything,” said Dougherty. “But if you told me I’d be on the court at the dunk contest for one of the most legendary performances ever, I don’t know if I’d believe you.

“So, just, really grateful and blessed to have that opportunity, and obviously it wouldn’t be possible without Mac and it wouldn’t be possible without Danny, and just very, very grateful.”