Jacob Toppin, brother of Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin, earns two-way contract with New York Knicks
Jacob Toppin, the younger brother of Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin, had his contract converted to a two-way deal with the New York Knicks late last week.
The move became official on Saturday. The younger Toppin is a rookie and signed with New York after going undrafted. Obi played for the Knicks from 2020-2023, and he appeared in over 200 games for the franchise.
The older Toppin was traded to the Pacers this summer for two second-round draft picks. In four preseason games, he averaged 9.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game for the blue and gold. His ability to cut and get open in transition fits in well with the Pacers.
That skill set led to a high-flying dunk for Obi during the preseason. He's been a good fit with Indiana on and off the court so far, and his pairing with Myles Turner in the frontcourt could be excellent for the Pacers.
Jacob, meanwhile, joins his brother's old team. The younger of the two averaged 4.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game during the preseason. He is a rookie who just wrapped up a four-year college career.
Obi is family oriented and has a tattoo of his son's name, Daniel, on his left bicep. He has his mom's name tattooed as well. His brother? Not yet. "Jacob will be on there soon... putting me on blast!" He joked after a Pacers practice last week.
Indiana and New York battle for the first time this season on December 30 in Indianapolis. That will be the first opportunity for the two brothers to face off in the pros. They battled twice in the NCAA ranks when Obi was at Dayton and Jacob at Rhode Island. The Flyers won both games, and Obi outscored Jacob 42-9 in the two outings.
Both the Knicks and Pacers kick off the regular season tonight with home games.
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