Obi Toppin Bio
Obadiah Richard Toppin Jr., known professionally as Obi Toppin, is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association. Born on March 4, 1998, in Brooklyn, New York, he plays the power forward position and has built a reputation as one of the league’s most athletic finishers. Toppin first rose to national prominence during his standout college career at the University of Dayton, where he was recognized as the National College Player of the Year in 2020. He was selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks and has since continued to develop into an integral member of the Pacers’ rotation.
Standing 6 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 220 pounds, Toppin combines size, leaping ability, and perimeter shooting to fit the modern NBA game. He is best known for winning the 2022 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, an event that highlighted his creativity and explosiveness. In 2025, he reached the NBA Finals with the Indiana Pacers, further cementing his place among the league’s rising forwards.
Early Life and Background
Obadiah Richard Toppin Jr. was born on March 4, 1998, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. He originally grew up in the neighborhood of Bushwick before relocating with his family to Melbourne, Florida, during his early teenage years. As a freshman, he attended Heritage High School in Palm Bay, Florida, and later transferred to Melbourne Central Catholic High School for his sophomore year. His mother Roni, who is of Italian Jewish descent, played a central role in raising Obi and his younger brother Jacob.
Following his time in Florida, Toppin, his mother, and his younger brother moved to Ossining, New York, where he enrolled at Ossining High School. During his only season on varsity, he averaged 20.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals per game, leading the team to its first conference title in a decade. Despite his strong senior production, he received no NCAA Division I offers, which led him to take a postgraduate year at Mt. Zion Preparatory School in Baltimore, Maryland. While at Mt. Zion, he averaged 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists per game and grew four inches to his current 6-foot-9 frame, which helped him earn a Division I scholarship.
Path to Basketball
Toppin committed to play college basketball at the University of Dayton over offers from Rhode Island, Georgetown, Georgia, Texas A&M, Minnesota, and Texas Tech. He arrived in Dayton eager to prove himself after a year of postgraduate development. Toppin’s basketball journey was shaped by his family, as his father Obadiah Toppin Sr. was a well-known streetball player in Brooklyn who performed for the Court Kingz and went by the nickname Dunker's Delight. Watching his father’s acrobatic playing style helped inspire Obi's own love of finishing above the rim.
At Dayton, Toppin redshirted his true freshman year after being ruled academically ineligible, a setback that motivated him to refine his game and approach to the sport. When he finally took the floor for the Flyers, he made an immediate impact as a scorer and rim-runner, laying the foundation for a historic college career. His rapid development from a lightly recruited prospect into one of the country’s top players demonstrated his work ethic and patience in reaching the highest level of professional basketball.
Obi Toppin Career
Early Career (2018-2020)
Toppin’s first season of NCAA eligibility at Dayton was his red-shirt freshman year, during which he led the Flyers with 14.4 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. His strong play earned him seven Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week honors, and he closed the year as the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and a first-team All-Atlantic 10 selection. The award was historic, as Toppin became the first freshman to earn first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors since Lamar Odom in 1999.
As a red-shirt sophomore, Toppin elevated his game to national prominence. He was named to preseason first-team All-Atlantic 10 and added to the watch lists for the Karl Malone, Lute Olson, and Naismith Awards. He scored a career-high 31 points in a win over North Florida, including a school-record 10 dunks, and led Dayton to a second-place finish at the 2019 Maui Invitational Tournament. He finished the season as the consensus National Player of the Year, winning the Associated Press Player of the Year, NABC Player of the Year, Naismith College Player of the Year, Oscar Robertson Trophy, John R. Wooden Award, and Karl Malone Award. He ended his college career with 1,096 points and a school-record 190 dunks.
NBA Debut and New York Knicks (2020-2023)
Toppin was selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks and signed his rookie contract on November 23, 2020. He made his NBA debut on December 23, 2020, posting nine points, three rebounds, and two blocks in 24 minutes against the Indiana Pacers. As a rookie, he was invited to the 2021 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, where he finished as runner-up behind Anfernee Simons, and he appeared in the 2021 NBA Playoffs for the Knicks.
In his second season, Toppin’s role grew significantly. He won the 2022 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, defeating Juan Toscano-Anderson in the final round, and posted a then-career-high 35 points in a win over the Washington Wizards on April 8, 2022. Two days later, he set a new career high with 42 points, 10 rebounds, and a block in a win over the Toronto Raptors. During the final stretch of the 2022-23 season, Toppin became a starter and tallied 32 and 34 points in consecutive games against the Indiana Pacers, foreshadowing his next career chapter.
Indiana Pacers Era (2023-Present)
On July 7, 2023, Toppin was traded to the Indiana Pacers for two future second-round picks, joining a young core that included Tyrese Haliburton and Aaron Nesmith. He made his Pacers debut on October 25, 2023, scoring 11 points with four rebounds in a win over the Washington Wizards. He delivered a season-high 27 points in an in-season tournament win over the Philadelphia 76ers and later added a game-winning layup in a 133-131 win over the Phoenix Suns on January 26, 2024. He finished the 2023-24 season averaging career highs as the primary backup to Pascal Siakam.
Toppin re-signed with the Pacers on a four-year, $60 million contract on July 6, 2024, signaling his long-term importance to the franchise. He scored a season-high 34 points, including 12 in overtime and the game-winning three-pointer, in a 132-130 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 17, 2025. Toppin helped the Pacers reach the NBA Finals in 2025, a career milestone that highlighted his evolution from a draft pick into a key contributor on a championship-caliber team.
Playing Style and Strengths
Toppin is best known for his exceptional athleticism and finishing ability around the rim, where he excels as a lob threat and transition scorer. His game has expanded to include reliable three-point shooting, which has allowed him to space the floor as a modern power forward. He thrives in pick-and-roll actions and benefits from playing alongside a skilled lead guard like Tyrese Haliburton, who creates open looks for him both inside and beyond the arc.
Notable Events and Milestones
Toppin’s most memorable professional moment came in 2022 when he won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest after finishing as runner-up the previous year, validating his reputation as one of the league’s most explosive leapers. He surpassed 1,000 career points in college during his sophomore season and ended that year with a school-record 190 dunks. In 2025, he reached the NBA Finals with the Indiana Pacers, the deepest postseason run of his career to date.
Obi Toppin Career Wins
Although team championships have eluded Toppin at the professional level, his career has been defined by individual awards and milestones across college and the NBA. His most celebrated victory came in the 2022 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, a marquee event that showcased his signature athleticism. He also earned consensus National College Player of the Year honors in 2020, a sweeping set of awards that ranks among the most decorated individual seasons in Dayton basketball history.
NBA Highlights
Toppin’s 2022 NBA Slam Dunk Contest title stands as the cornerstone of his professional resume, giving the league a memorable showcase of his leaping ability. He posted a career-high 42 points in a 2022 win over the Toronto Raptors and followed that with a 34-point performance against the Indiana Pacers in April 2023, his final games as a Knicks regular starter. In 2025, he helped the Pacers reach the NBA Finals, the most significant team accomplishment of his career to date.
Other Wins and Performances
At the collegiate level, Toppin earned first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors twice, the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, and the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year. He was a two-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Week during his red-shirt sophomore season and a seven-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week during his red-shirt freshman year. He was inducted into the Dayton Athletics Hall of Fame, recognizing his record-setting 190 dunks and 1,096 career points for the Flyers.
Obi Toppin Family
Family Background and Basketball Lineage
Obi Toppin comes from a basketball family with deep roots in the New York streetball scene. His father, Obadiah Toppin Sr., played for the Court Kingz under the nickname Dunker's Delight and was a well-known figure in Brooklyn streetball circles. He played college basketball at Globe Institute of Technology and professionally for the Brooklyn Kings of the United States Basketball League, the Harlem Strong Dogs of the American Basketball Association, and clubs in the Dominican Republic. His mother, Roni, raised Obi and his younger brother Jacob while instilling discipline and focus in their development.
Personal Life
Toppin’s younger brother, Jacob Toppin, played college basketball at Rhode Island before transferring to Kentucky, where he continued his career. Jacob signed with the New York Knicks in June 2023, one day before Obi was traded to the Indiana Pacers. Toppin is a Christian and has a tattoo of a cross on his right shoulder that reflects his faith. He is active on social media and continues to live a public life connected to the basketball community.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season marked the deepest postseason run of Toppin’s career, as he helped the Indiana Pacers reach the NBA Finals. During the regular season, he delivered one of his most memorable performances on March 17, 2025, when he scored 34 points, including 12 in overtime and the game-winning three-pointer, in a 132-130 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. That performance snapped Minnesota’s eight-game winning streak and underscored Toppin’s value as a clutch contributor for Indiana.
Toppin’s late-season form carried into the playoffs, where he remained a steady scorer and finisher in the Pacers’ rotation. He continued to provide spacing, rim-running, and energy plays that complemented the team’s core of Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. His ability to deliver in high-pressure moments helped Indiana navigate a competitive Eastern Conference and reach the Finals for the first time in his tenure.
On October 31, 2025, Toppin underwent surgery to place a screw in the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot and was ruled out for at least three months. The injury represented a temporary setback in an otherwise breakout campaign, and his recovery timeline is expected to influence the Pacers’ rotation and depth chart during the early portion of the 2025-26 season.
