Obi Toppin will compete in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest 2021

Obi Toppin, whose father is a former Brooklyn streetball player nicknamed “Dunkers Delight”, will compete in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest 2020-21, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, giving the Knicks another All-Star representative Weekend with Julius Randle.

Toppin had already provoked that he could enter the contest, but everyone knows that nothing is official until it is tweeted by Shams or Woj.

The 8th overall choice in this year’s draft, Toppin has been working mostly on the bench behind Randle, playing just 12 minutes a night after losing the first 10 games of the season due to injury. He hasn’t yet shown the full offensive arsenal that was assigned on recruiting night, but there is one thing that Toppin definitely did. This shows the ability to bury.

It has its standard flat buried cover.

He patted that basic dunk where you reach higher than it seems humanly possible.

And, of course, like most of us, he can hit the target after receiving a pass from the side of the table and placing the ball between his legs while in the air.

Truth be told, Toppin is a dedicated diver and has always been, since his college days.

In fact, Toppin remembers his first dunk. He wanted to bury his whole life and finally played one in the summer before his senior year of high school, according to this profile of the Bleacher Report rookie.

“It was pure relief,” said Toppin. “And then it was excitement. It took so long. That’s why I still dive whenever I can now. I really started diving three or four years ago. It’s still new to me. It still feels amazing all the time. “

Apparently, this will be the 8th time that the Knicks will have someone in the dunk contest and in the All-Star game, which is really cool.

None of the other participants in this year’s dunk contest have yet been named. This year’s contest is taking place during the All-Star Game break because of, you know, the pandemic. It’s nice to have Toppin representing the team, as the last pair of Knicks to participate (Dennis Smith Jr. and James White), didn’t necessarily make the franchise look fantastic.

Toppin turns 23 just days before the All-Star weekend; what better way to celebrate than to assert one’s dominance as the best diver? He certainly hopes to do just that. We hope he does too.