'Watching Him Is Awesome': Obi Toppin's Father Talks Knicks & Dunks on 'MSG PM'
New York sports are often defined by family affairs and carrying on legacies. The Toppins are doing their best to pitch in.
Obi Toppin has brought the Toppin name from the courts at Dyckman Park to another Manhattan-based basketball landmark, the hardwood of Madison Square Garden, through his fledgling New York Knicks career. His father Obidiah Sr. was previously one of New York's more well-known names in streetball, earning the nickname "Dunker's Delight" for his high-flying antics.
Meanwhile, since his NBA entry in 2020, Obi has appeared in the Slam Drunk Contest twice, winning the most recent edition in Cleveland in February.
The elder Toppin appeared on the "MSG PM" program to discuss his metropolitan basketball success, including his son providing a new brand of Dunker's Delight to Knicks fans. Obidiah first channeled his son by wearing a red hoodie bearing the phrase "here for a reason", which the current Knick has used reflectively during several press conferences including during his first appearance at the Dunk Contest in Atlanta in 2021.
Toppin's dunking destiny, one that has earned him a strong national following, was written at a young age: it was through his assistance, for example, that his father gained his iconic nickname.
"I was playing with a Florida team called Court Kingz. They were like a Christian traveling team," Obidiah recalled. "Little Obi … threw the ball off the backboard and I dunked it... It was (then) Court Kingz that gave me the nickname ‘Dunker's Delight’ and I ran with it."
Obidiah took some credit for serving as a de facto launchpad for his son, who was fascinated by his father's flight from a young age.
"He learned dunking through observing and watching me play because everywhere I played, he was there," Obidiah said. "He's seen every dunk that I used, and Obi just picked it up and just started dunking...Once he started dunking, every time he wanted, he tried to dunk on me."
Obidiah would give his son a chance to do so in 2021, serving as a prop in his son's showcase in Atlanta. Toppin the younger jumped over both his father and Knicks teammate Julius Randle during the All-Star festivities, where he finished second to Portland's Anfernee Simmons.
Despite the relatively close quarters, Obidiah wasn't fazed by his son's flight pattern. … even though he sprang the surprise on him at the last minute.
"I wasn't nervous at all. I know what Obi could do," he told hosts Kazeem Famuyide and Jeff Johnson. "I didn't know he was going to that, though! That was an awesome dunk."
Toppin's aerial prowess, set to enter its third tour, is one of the reasons why the Knicks have remained optimistic about their future, even if it feels few are safe from being included in trade talks as the team prepares to embark upon a fateful offseason that hopefully yields a major contributor. The uncertainty hasn't stopped Obidiah from relishing the Toppin name serving as a nightly staple on MSG's scoreboard and watching his son grow as a basketball player in The World's Most Famous Arena.
"I love seeing Obi play, watching him develop getting mature in the game, learning the game," Obidiah said. "I love (watching him) have a passion for the game, you know? Just watching them watching him is awesome."
