Obi Toppin jumped on his teammate Julius Randle and his father Obadiah Toppin to make a windmill.
But it wasn’t enough, as the 6-foot-9 striker lost the decision to close the razor in front of Anfernee Simons in the Slam Dunk Contest halfway through the NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta on Sunday.
The Knicks rookie finished runner-up, as Simons, the Trail Blazers guard, won on the five judges ’cards, 3-2, in a final dunk that he never executed properly.
Toppin’s last shot was a sprint to the bucket from the midfield, which jumped into the air from inside the foul line when he put the ball between his legs and crashed it. However, “Air Obi” didn’t seem to have enough lift and power in that final blow.
Simons countered with a “kiss of kisses” as he grabbed his own lobe, crashing it as he moved to kiss the edge, but fell a short foot. However, Simons still won the majority vote. (The final dunk was not scored on a numerical system).
Simons said he wanted to kiss the edge, but Toppin refused to claim the trophy was stolen.
“It didn’t look like anything stolen to me,” Toppin said. “Anfernee is a great dunker and got all three dunks on the first try. The second and third, I had to do them a second time. If I got it for the first time, it would have been a different result. I don’t think they stole me at all. He deserved this trophy. “
In his second mess, Toppin, the former Dayton star, took out his teammate Randle and his own father, known at his peak of street dancing as “Dunkers Delight.” first attempt.
Toppin made his second attempt, but also failed to get his usual rise from Obi. Of the five judges, he scored a 10 and four 9.
“It felt great,” Toppin said of his father’s use. “I grew up watching the dunk contest with him. Having Jules there too, for the first time All-Star, was a fantastic experience. They didn’t get the result we wanted, but I definitely got the experience I wanted. “
Simons ’first mess was the most creative, as he propped a ball on a Nerf basket held to the edge 12 feet high. Simons rose high enough to grab the ball from the edge Nerf and crashed it against the regulating hoop.
The creativity of Simons ’three dunks may have been a deciding factor, even if the only kiss he landed was an air kiss when he hit the ground. The judges were Spud Webb, Josh Smith, Josh Richardson, Dominique Wilkins and Dee Brown.
“Yes 100 percent,” Simons said. “I tried to get close enough not to hit my head too close to the edge. In practice I never kissed the edge, but I wanted to commit to it. I wanted to put a mouth guard on it, but it didn’t fit. It’s something no one has done. “
Not done yet. But Toppin looked on the bright side, even meeting LeBron James.
“I’ve always said LeBron was a guy, if I saw him, I’d say‘ Wow, ’” Toppin said. “As soon as I saw him, he approached me and said,‘ What’s up Obi? He would say to me, “Dang, you know my name.” That experience was good.
“The opportunity to be here and have this opportunity and be on this stage with all the great players, is a dream come true. I didn’t get the win, but all three of us had great dunks and it was a fantastic experience. Hopefully we’ll be back next year. “