Obi Toppin jumped over teammate Julius Randle and his father Obadiah Toppin for a windmill dunk.
But that was not enough, as the 6-foot-9 power forward lost a razor-sharp decision against Anfernee Simons in the Slam Dunk game on Sunday during the halftime of the NBA All-Star Game.
The Knicks rookie scored the runner-up when Simons, the Trail Blazers guard, won on the five judges’ cards, 3-2, on a final dunk he never executed properly.
Toppin’s last shot was a sprint to the bucket from midfield, and jumped into the air from just inside the foul line as he put the ball between his legs and slammed it down. ‘Air Obi’, however, apparently did not get enough power and strength at the last blow.
Simons tilted with a ‘kiss dunk’ as he caught his own lobe, knocking it down as he moved to kiss the edge, but a foot short. However, Simons still got the majority vote. (The final dunk was not achieved on a number system).
Simons said he intended to kiss the rand, but Toppin did not want to claim that the trophy was stolen.
“I did not feel robbed at all,” Toppin said. ‘Anfernee is a great player and all three got his downfall with the first try. The second and third I had to do it a second time. If I had gotten it on my first time, it would have been a different result. I do not think I have been robbed at all. He deserved that trophy. ”
In his second dunk, Toppin, the former Dayton star, brought forward teammate Randle and his own father, who in his heyday on the street ball was known as ‘Dunkers Delight’. ‘first try.
Toppin converted his second attempt, but also did not get his usual Obi lift. Of the five judges, he scored one 10 and four 9s.
“It felt great,” Toppin said of his father’s use. ‘I grew up watching the dunk game with him. Having Jules there too, the first All-Star, it was a wonderful experience. They did not get the outcome we wanted, but I definitely got the experience I wanted. ‘
Simons’ first dunk was his most creative as he tied a ball to a 12-foot-tall Nerf basket. Simons got up high enough to grab the ball from the Nerf edge and crashed into the rule bar.
The creativity of Simons’ three dunks was perhaps a deciding factor, though the only kiss he landed was an air kiss when he hit the floor. The judges were Spud Webb, Josh Smith, Josh Richardson, Dominique Wilkins and Dee Brown.
“Yes, 100 percent,” Simons said. ‘I tried to get close enough so that I did not hit my head on the edge too hard. I never kissed the edge in practice, but I wanted to commit to it. I wanted to insert a mouth guard, but it does not fit. This is something no one has done. ‘
Still not done. But Toppin looks on the bright side – even to meet LeBron James.
“I always said LeBron is one man, if I saw him I would be like ‘Wow,'” Toppin said. “When I saw him, he came to me and said, ‘What’s up with Obi? “I was like, ‘Dang, you know my name.’ That experience was good.
‘The opportunity for me to be here and to have this opportunity and to be with all the great players on this stage, it’s a dream come true. I did not win, but all three of us had a great time and it was a wonderful experience. Hopefully we will be back next year. ‘