Obi Toppin

Toppin is an American forward who entered the NBA with elite athleticism, highlight-reel dunking ability, and a decorated college resume. Drafted eighth overall in 2020, he won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 2022 and later found a more consistent role with the Indiana Pacers, helping them reach the 2025 NBA Finals.

Born Obadiah Richard Toppin Jr. on March 4, 1998, in Brooklyn, New York, he grew up in Bushwick before moving to Melbourne, Florida. He attended Heritage High School in Palm Bay and later Melbourne Central Catholic High School. He then moved to Ossining, New York, and enrolled at Ossining High School. He averaged 20.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, three assists, and three steals as a senior and led the team to its first conference title in 10 years. Having received no NCAA Division I offers, he enrolled at Mt. Zion Preparatory School in Baltimore for a postgraduate year, averaging 17 points, eight rebounds, and four assists while growing four inches to 6 feet 9 inches.

Toppin committed to Dayton over Rhode Island, Georgetown, Georgia, Texas A&M, Minnesota, and Texas Tech. He redshirted his true freshman season due to academic ineligibility. As a redshirt freshman, he averaged 14.4 points and 5.6 rebounds and was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and first-team All-Atlantic 10, the first freshman to do so since Lamar Odom in 1999. After declaring for the 2019 draft and withdrawing, he returned for his redshirt sophomore season.

In 2019-20, Toppin was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week multiple times and led Dayton to second place at the Maui Invitational. He was named the Karl Malone Award winner as the nation's best power forward and earned National College Player of the Year honors from multiple outlets. After the season, he declared for the 2020 NBA draft.

The New York Knicks selected Toppin with the eighth overall pick in 2020. He won the Slam Dunk Contest in 2022 after being runner-up the previous year. In 2023, he was traded to the Indiana Pacers, where he found a more consistent rotation role and helped the team reach the 2025 NBA Finals.

Toppin is an elite athlete with spectacular dunking ability, transition finishing, and improving three-point shooting. His offensive game is built on lob finishes, fast-break attacks, and spot-up shooting. Defensively, his athleticism allows him to guard multiple positions and generate steals and blocks. He functions best as an energy forward who provides highlight plays and offensive spark.