The NBA is full of new talents and skilful players, who are following the steps of great legends. For Obi Toppin, the hero of his childhood wasn’t Kobe Bryant, but his dad. This young player joined the New York Knicks in 2020 and is famous for his astonishing dunks. His career is just at the starting point but we can already imagine how great of a player he will become.
Obi Toppin – Early Life
Obadiah Toppin was born on March 4, 1998, in Brooklyn, New York City and spent his childhood there, before moving to Melbourne in Florida. Obi Toppin’s dad, also named Obadiah Toppin, was a streetball player for the Brooklyn Kings, known as “Dunkers Delight”. To this day, Obi Toppin Jr looks up to his father for inspiration, especially when it comes to dunking.
In Melbourne, Toppin enrolled in Heritage High School but transferred to Melbourne Central Catholic High School. For his junior year, he changed the school once again, as he, his mother Roni Toppin, and younger brother, Jacob Toppin moved back to New York, where he went to the Ossining High School.
As a senior, Toppin averaged 20.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3 assist along with 3 steals, which made him desirable in the eyes of the NCAA Division I school’s recruiters. But Toppin chose to do a postgraduate year in Mt. Zion Preparatory School of Baltimore. During this time, he grew to 6 feet and 9 inches. Finally, he decided to enroll in the University of Dayton.
Obi Toppin – Hot to Play College Basketball
Due to his poor academic performance, Toppin couldn’t play for the University of Dayton Flyers for his freshman season.. When he was eligible to play, he averaged 14.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, and was selected as Atlantic Conference Rookie of the Week seven times. He won Rookie of the Year honors. He thought about joining the 2019 NBA draft, but when he declared his eligibility, he didn’t even hire an agent and returned to play for Dayton.
Obi Toppin – Midseason Player of the Year
Before his sophomore season, Toppin was selected to the preseason All-Atlantic. In the first week of the season, he was chosen as the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week, as he scored a career-high 29 points and 12 rebounds in the opener. The team participated in the 2019 Maui Invitational Tournament where they placed themselves in second place. During the tournament, he averaged 22.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 blocks, which led him to be selected Atlantic 10 Player of the Week again as well as National Player of the Week. At the end of December 30, Obi posted a career-high 31 points, and for his accomplishments, he was chosen the Midseason Player of the Year.
Obi Toppin – Ankle Injury
On January 11, 2020, Toppin injured his left ankle but it didn’t cause him to miss the game, and he posted 24 points in a win against UMASS. He compiled 1000 career points just on February 22, 2020.
At the conclusion of the regular season, Toppin was selected to the A-10’s First Team All-Atlantic and the Atlantic 10 Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, with 20 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and a .633 field goal percentage in 26.4 minutes per game.
Toppin was a unanimous first-team All-American selection, won the Karl Malone Award for National Player of the Year after being named Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year, NABC Player of the Year, and John R. Wooden Award as the nation’s top power forward, and received Oscar Robertson’s trophy. Upon receiving such accolades, he decided to enter the 2020 NBA draft and he finished his college career with 1,096 points and 190 dunks.
Obi Toppin – Rookie Scale Contract with the New York Knicks
Toppin was selected as the eighth overall pick by the New York Knicks in the 2020 NBA Draft. They offered him a 9 million dollars rookie scale contract which he signed on November 23. He made his NBA debut exactly a month after, on December 23, with nine points, three rebounds, and two blocked shots in just 24 minutes he played. He was injured during that match, therefore he missed 10 consecutive games.
Obi Toppin – NBA Dunk Contest
Being one of the most explosive dunkers in college, Obi Toppin participated in the 2021 NBA Dunk Contest and finished second. The whole contest wasn’t as exciting as in the previous years, despite the contestants being very creative.
Conclusion
Obi Toppin is a young player who has already received many awards and honors for his college achievements. As for his NBA run, he’ll only get better with time as he gets more opportunities to play. He’s yet to become a “Dunkers Delight” like his father, but he is on a way to do so. We are hoping for the best for Toppin and keep our fingers crossed that he will have the opportunity to shine this season!
Does Obi Toppin have a brother?
Yes, he has one brother, Jacob. He transferred from Rhode Island to play college basketball for Kentucky. Obi Toppin has predicted that his younger brother will one day join him in the NBA, even though he is still a work in progress as a basketball prospect.
Who is Obi Toppin’s father?
Obi Toppin’s dad, also named Obadiah Toppin, was a streetball player for the Brooklyn Kings, known as “Dunkers Delight”. Obadiah took part in the former And1 Streetball tour, and was featured in a 2006 Gatorade commercial with Vince Carter, Dwyane Wade, and Ben Wallace.
