Jacob Toppin admitted it was “kind of crazy” that his long-awaited first NBA points came on a dunk Thursday night, and the rookie clearly is looking forward to following in older brother Obi’s footsteps by representing the Knicks at the Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star weekend later this month.
Jacob Toppin was pressed into service with the Knicks shorthanded because of injuries and their trade earlier in the day, and the two-way forward scored two points in 12 minutes — his first rotation minutes in the NBA — in a 122-108 loss to the Mavericks at the Garden.
“It was a surreal moment,” the 23-year-old Toppin said of his dunk off an offensive rebound with 5:09 remaining in the fourth quarter. “This is the league, so everyone has to stay ready, and that’s what we did today. Obviously we didn’t come out with the W, but we fought hard, and that’s all you can ask for.”
Obi Toppin, who was traded to the Pacers over the summer, won the Slam Dunk Contest in 2022.
This year’s festivities will take place Feb.17 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Obi’s new home arena.
“People keep asking me if I’m asking him for tips, but I’m the better dunker, so I wouldn’t ask him for tips,” Jacob Toppin said jokingly. “But we talked about it and we talked about what I’m going to do, so I’m just excited to be able to do that.”
The younger Toppin will be joined in this year’s competition by returning champion Mac McClung, Jaylen Brown of the Celtics and rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr of the Heat.
“I’m a great dunker, so I guess the word got around and I ended up getting invited, so I’m excited for the opportunity,” Jacob Toppin said, adding he and Obi talked about” competing against each other.
“Obviously that would be a fun experience. Not a lot of brothers can say they did something like that. So we definitely talked about it, but it didn’t happen.”