PORTLAND, OREGON – JANUARY 24: Obi Toppin # 1 of the New York Knicks throws the ball in second … [+]
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Obi Toppin of the New York Knicks, Anfernee Simons of the Portland Trail Blazers and Cassius Stanley of the Indiana Pacers will compete in the NBA Dunk Slam Tournament on March 7 in Atlanta.
League news sources confirmed Simons and Stanley after it was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, while The Athletic first reported Toppin news.
The Dunk Tournament will be held at halftime of the All-Star Game.
“I would love to be in the dunk tournament, but right now we have a couple more games ahead of the All-Star break,” said Toppin, a Brooklyn nominee who was the No. 8 pick in this year’s NBA Draft. last year, to reporters this week.
“So we had to focus on that right now, but I’d like to be in the dunk tournament when that time comes. “
The 6-foot-9 Toppin led the NCAA Division 1 in Dunes during the 2019-20 season at Dayton, and previously won the Dunk High School at Ossining High School (NY).
“There were a lot of people in the dunk contest that I’ve been looking at all my life who have really good dunes,” Toppin said. “If it’s time for me to be there and they say I’m in the dunk competition, I have to do a lot of research and hope to do something that no one has seen.”
The 6-3 Simons average 8.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists for the Blazers after coming out of IMG (FL) Academy. He wanted to take part in last year’s Dunk Championship, which was won by Derrick Jones Jr. of the Miami Heat.
“I think I’m trying to pick some that I know can do, as I’m sure I did before,” Simons said a year ago. “It also gives a couple different things that make it attractive … A great way to do things. ”
The 6-5 Stanley has had a small place for the Pacers since he came out of Duke, where he was famous for some high-flying athletes. He recorded a just 44-inch jump at the NBA Combine Draft in 2020.