Obi Toppin’s first dunk game was as a senior at Ossining High, against three other high school seniors from Division 1 (Westchester schools).
“He took off from the fault line and flew like MJ to win the game,” Ossining coach Michael Casey told The Post. ‘Most others struggled to complete their clothes. But no, I did not think Obi would be in the NBA dunk game after that. ‘
It’s going to be a particularly proud moment for the Toppin family when the Knicks’ rookie lottery – a late bloomer that wasn’t even a full-time starter at his junior year at Ossining – takes part in Sunday’s Slam-Dunk competition. The event is being hosted during the rest of the All-Star Game in Atlanta.
Toppin’s number one basketball god who grew up was not Michael Jordan, but his father, Obadiah, a street ball legend nicknamed “Dunkers Delight.”
Obadiah took part in the old And1 Streetball tour and was once part of a 2006 Gatorade ad featuring Vince Carter, Dwyane Wade and Ben Wallace.
“I talked to him about some subjects,” Toppin said. “He’s basically telling me which one would be crazy for that time.”
Toppin said his father, who also played overseas, is his number 1 inspiration in the dunk division.
“I grew up watching him,” Toppin said. “Every team he played on was he – he was Dunkers Delight, so that goes without saying.”
Obadiah was contacted by The Post and said he plans to be in Atlanta.
“I’m very excited and anxious,” Obadiah told The Post. “I know he’s going to do what he does.”
Some down games believe one of Toppin’s roofs on Sunday will be a variation in a quick battle between the legs he performed at Dayton last season. Toppin said it was a dunk after the game that perfected his father on the tracks of the Rucker and Dyckman parks.
Toppin, who turned 23 earlier this week, is in Atlanta with one of his Knicks teammates, All-Star Julius Randle. In the pandemic format, players were told to arrive on Saturday night, so there would not be much practice time for Toppin to use Randle as a prop.
Toppin likes props that jump over obstacles and refers to the Aaron Gordon art show last season when he jumped more than 7 feet Tacko Fall.
Asked if the 6-9 Randle, his power-forward mentor, would offer assistance during the halftime game, Toppin did not rule it out.
“I do not know how to answer. ‘I might go to Julius, maybe not,’ Toppin said.
Toppin will face former Duke guard Cassius Stanley, a second-round pick in the G-League for the Pacers, and Portland guard Anfernee Simons. They will donate their $ 100,000 winnings to historic black colleges. Toppin is at York College.
“It’s definitely crazy for me, and it’s crazy because I’m just texting Cassius the other day,” Toppin said. ‘We both said how surreal it is. We are in our first year in the NBA and we can participate in this dunk game. It is therefore a blessing to have this opportunity. ‘
Casey, the coach of Toppin’s high school, said his former player may not be the favorite as a big man against guards who are usually more visually appealing to fly through the air.
“He’s going to have to get creative,” Casey said.
Toppin is the sixth Knicks player to participate in the dunk game. The last to win it was 5-foot-9 guard Nate Robinson, who won it three times. Kenny “Sky” Walker won in 1989 as Knick.
“I’ve been watching a lot of dunks these past few days,” Toppin said. ‘I’m going to try to do things that have not been in the dunk game yet. I’ve seen a lot of big dunks already. I might have to break out one of the old roofs someone did. I am definitely preparing for the time to come. ‘
The only dunkman Toppin is glad he won’t face on Sunday is Bulls guard Zach LaVine, who is making his first All-Star appearance. Toppin was afraid that LaVine, the 2016 winner, would appear on the tab because he would be in Atlanta anyway.
“I’m glad Zach is not there,” Toppin said. ‘I’ll put it out there. I’m glad he’s not there because he’s a wonderful man. Definitely, I like to compete. Even if he was in it, I would have had a great time and we would have presented a show to everyone. There are three wonderful dunkers, Cassius and I and Anfernee. So I feel like all three of us are going to have a show for everyone. ‘