WATCH: Obi Toppin wins NBA slam dunk contest with creative final dunk
New York Knicks forward Obi Toppin has won the slam dunk contest at NBA All-Star weekend on Saturday in Cleveland. He beat out participants Cole Anthony, Jalen Green and Juan Toscano-Anderson for the victory.
It was the second straight season that Toppin has participated in the slam dunk contest. He advanced to the final round in 2021 before losing to Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons.
Toppin began this year’s final round with a between-the-legs slam after throwing the ball off of the backboard. His second dunk featured him touching the ball to the backboard before bringing it back in for the finishing slam. Juan Toscano-Anderson was his competitor in the final round after opening the competition with a dunk over Warriors teammate Andrew Wiggins.
No player received a perfect score on any dunk in what was yet another underwhelming season for the NBA slam dunk contest. Toscano-Anderson received the lowest-possible score of 30 on his final attempt after failing to successfully complete a dunk. That allowed Toppin to win the contest if he simply completed any dunk, which he did.
A Dayton alumnus, Toppin was selected eighth overall in the 2020 NBA draft. He is averaging 7.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in his second pro season. With this slam dunk win under his belt, he will look to continue to improve his game
Another impressive dunk from Saturday evening featured Cole Anthony dunking over his father Greg Anthony in Timberland shoes.
The slam dunk contest first appeared in 1977 as a one-off event. The NBA brought it back in 1984, where it would stay on a permanent basis. Nate Robinson has won the most dunk contests in the history of the league, claiming three from 2006-10.
With the conclusion of the slam dunk contest, there is only one more event to look forward to at All-Star weekend. The 2022 NBA All-Star Game is set to tip off at 8 p.m. ET Sunday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.