Miles McDonald, better known as McDeezy, is 16 years old and has over 2 million subscribers on YouTube. He’s been on Jimmy Fallon, collaborated with Airrack, worked with the Harlem Globetrotters, and he also happens to be a dunker who came out to Dunk Camp. In this episode of Dunk Talk, I (Dylan Haugen) sat down with Miles to talk about how he blew up on social media, what it was like going on national television, and how dunking fits into his world.
From Basketball Spinning to 2 Million Subscribers
Miles got his start making basketball spinning content on TikTok, and it took off fast. His short-form videos of insane ball-spinning tricks caught the attention of millions, and that momentum carried over to YouTube where he crossed the 2 million subscriber mark. What’s cool about Miles is that he’s my age — we’re both 16 — and he’s already built something that most content creators spend years trying to achieve. He said he still edits everything in CapCut on his phone, spending about three to four hours total on each video. He doesn’t really watch tutorials — it’s all trial and error, and after spending probably eight hours a week just in the editing app, he’s figured out what works and what doesn’t. That approach is honestly inspiring for anyone in the dunk community trying to grow their content.
Spinning a Basketball on The Tonight Show
The Jimmy Fallon story was one of the best parts of the conversation. Miles told me he got an email from something called “The Tonight Show” and had no idea what it was. He literally thought it was a scam and didn’t respond. Then they emailed him again the next day, and when he showed his dad, his dad told him it was Jimmy Fallon’s show. They had found one of Miles’ TikToks where he was spinning a ball on a toothbrush and wanted him to do it live in front of Jimmy. At the time, Miles had around 1.8 million subscribers. He said that experience was probably the coolest opportunity that’s come from his YouTube career so far, and honestly, for a 16-year-old, getting flown out to be on national television is insane.
Behind the Scenes with Airrack
Miles also collaborated with Airrack, one of the biggest YouTubers in the game, and got to see how a major production works behind the scenes. He said they had about 15 workers just doing cameras, a dedicated director telling everyone what to do, and a full setup with props and staging. They also had a sponsorship involved, so the production value was on another level. Miles said filming the intros alone took about 20 takes to get right, and they used huge prop boxes and elaborate setups for different shots. For Miles, the coolest part wasn’t even being in the video — it was seeing how a massive YouTube channel operates and the level of effort that goes into a single upload. That kind of behind-the-scenes exposure at his age is invaluable for his own content creation journey.
Miles at Dunk Camp
What a lot of people might not know about Miles is that he’s also a dunker. He came out to Dunk Camp in Utah, and I had been talking to him for a while before that. At camp, Miles competed in a dunk contest and threw down three dunks using all three types of jumping — right-left, left-right, and one-foot. His third dunk was a 360 windmill off one foot, which is genuinely impressive and shows the kid has serious athletic versatility on top of his content creation skills. Seeing the reaction from the crowd when he made that third dunk was awesome — nobody expected it from the “spinning guy.”
Miles described what it was like arriving at Dunk Camp for the first time and seeing all the pro dunkers in person. He compared it to seeing LeBron James walk in — that’s the level of excitement he felt seeing guys like Sutherland and CJ Champion up close. It’s something I totally relate to. The first time you see these athletes who you’ve been watching on your phone actually dunking in front of you, it hits completely different.
Monetization and Getting an Agent
We got into the business side of content creation too, which was interesting. Miles talked about how he’s trying to get an agent or manager right now, and how that process isn’t easy. He mentioned how Professor — the streetball legend — gets partnered deals with Jordan Brand and gets free Jordan gear, and how that level of brand partnership is what a lot of content creators are chasing. Miles is thinking ahead about how to turn his audience into real business opportunities beyond just ad revenue. We also talked about how dunkers specifically could monetize better. Right now, most dunkers with huge followings aren’t making nearly what they should from brand deals compared to creators in other niches. It’s a gap in the market that someone like Miles, who understands content and has the athletic talent, could be positioned to help close.
YouTube Growth and Content Strategy
We also talked about the YouTube side of things — what it takes to grow a channel, the difference between short-form and long-form content, and how Miles thinks about his strategy going forward. He made an interesting point about how he started with almost exclusively short-form content but is now looking to push more into long-form because that’s where the real money and audience loyalty is. For anyone in the dunk community or any niche trying to grow on social media, this conversation had a lot of practical insight. Miles has built something real at 16 years old, and his perspective on content creation is mature beyond his age.
Watch the full interview with Miles McDeezy McDonald above. Follow him on YouTube @mcdeezy_ and Instagram @miles_mcdeezy. Subscribe to the Dunk Talk Podcast so you never miss an episode.