Saturday night's 2024 NBA Slam Dunk Contest may be lacking in star power, but not intrigue. It also has a little bit of drama added to it before the event, with Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin and his brother, Jacob Toppin of the New York Knicks, having some good old sibling trash talk.
Jacob and Obi Toppin going back and forth before the dunk contest š
Jacob: āHe canāt give me any advice. Iām the better dunkerā
Obi: āHold up. Iām the champ already. You still gotta become a champ."
Jacob: āIām the better dunker.ā
(via @NBAAllStar)pic.twitter.com/eqoMXgNDmP
ā ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 17, 2024
The high-leaping Pacers forward has the advantage in bragging rights (for now) since he had already won the event before. Obi, who was still with the Knicks at the time, won the slam dunk title back in 2022 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland. (He was traded by the Knicks to the Pacers in 2023 for some picks). He bested Golden State Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson, Houston Rockets youngster Jalen Green, and Orland Magic guard Anthony Cole Anthony.
This time, Jacob will look to add dunk prestige to the Knicks ā and Toppin family, Jacob, who is on a two-way contract with the Knicks, will be battling against Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, Jaime Jaquez Jr. of th Miami Heat, and the reining dunk contest champion and G Leaguer MacMcClung.
Although the NBA Slam Dunk Contest has seemingly lost significant luster over the past several years, it remains to be one of the most anticipated events in NBA All-Star breaks. Brown's inclusion on the list of participants in the dunk contest adds a much-needed star power to the event, but his popularity isn't going to be much of a factor here where athleticism, creativity, showmanship, and crazy leaping abilities are kings.
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