Jacob Toppin admitted it was “type of loopy” that his long-awaited first NBA factors got here on a dunk Thursday night time, and the rookie clearly is wanting ahead to following in older brother Obi’s footsteps by representing the Knicks on the Slam Dunk Contest throughout All-Star weekend later this month.
Jacob Toppin was pressed into service with the Knicks shorthanded due to accidents and their commerce earlier within the day, and the two-way ahead scored two factors in 12 minutes — his first rotation minutes within the NBA — in a 122-108 loss to the Mavericks on the Backyard.
“It was a surreal second,” the 23-year-old Toppin stated of his dunk off an offensive rebound with 5:09 remaining within the fourth quarter. “That is the league, so everybody has to remain prepared, and that’s what we did in the present day. Clearly we didn’t come out with the W, however we fought arduous, and that’s all you may ask for.”
Obi Toppin, who was traded to the Pacers over the summer time, received the Slam Dunk Contest in 2022.
This 12 months’s festivities will happen Feb.17 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Obi’s new house enviornment.
“Folks hold asking me if I’m asking him for ideas, however I’m the higher dunker, so I wouldn’t ask him for ideas,” Jacob Toppin stated jokingly. “However we talked about it and we talked about what I’m going to do, so I’m simply excited to have the ability to do this.”
The youthful Toppin will probably be joined on this 12 months’s competitors by returning champion Mac McClung, Jaylen Brown of the Celtics and rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr of the Warmth.
“I’m an awesome dunker, so I suppose the phrase obtained round and I ended up getting invited, so I’m excited for the chance,” Jacob Toppin stated, including he and Obi talked about” competing towards one another.
“Clearly that might be a enjoyable expertise. Not a number of brothers can say they did one thing like that. So we undoubtedly talked about it, nevertheless it didn’t occur.”
