I do this every year! Well, almost.
Obi Toppin is one of three participants in the dunk contest.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images.)
Normally, we have the dunk contest going on Saturday for All-Star Weekend. But since everything is happening in one day, this event is happening at halftime of the All-Star Game. It’s also probably why we only have THREE contestants for the 2021 edition.
It’s going to be so tough to follow up on last year’s helping when Derrick Jones, Jr. defeated Aaron Gordon in controversial fashion. Nevertheless, every year has the potential to have a great show. The three players in this can really fly. But do they have the charisma to go along with it?
Here are the contestants:
OBI TOPPIN (F, NY)
CASSIUS STANLEY (G, IND)
ANFERNEE SIMONS (G, POR)
Let’s look at Obi Toppin first. He was the 8th pick overall in last fall’s draft and he was very well known for his dunking. Toppin’s dunking prowess very well reminds me of Amar’e Stoudemire, who participated in the dunk contest but did not win. Still, the power and creativity are there. He once did a between-the-legs dunk IN A GAME.
Here’s Obi doing some practice jams. They all seem so casual so you know he can do more.
(VIDEO CREDIT: Bilen.)
Cassius Stanley was a second round pick chosen by the Indiana Pacers. Stanley has only played 8 games this season. He was a Duke Blue Devil for a year so he does carry a bit of pedigree. He also put up a 44-inch vertical leap during the NBA combine. That’s ridiculous.
He had many a highlight in Duke. His practice dunks seem pretty impressive
But Cassius also showed he can do this:
(VIDEO CREDIT: STAY.)
Cassius did the under-both-legs dunk that Aaron Gordon popularized and was considered by some as “the best dunk ever in the NBA dunk contest.” If he can pull this off in the contest…
Anfernee Simons is in this third year as a Portland TrailBlazer. He scored 37 points in a game as a rookie and has been a decent back-up shooting guard for them.
But this is about dunking. I haven’t seen anything super fresh but he could very well save that for the contest.
All I know is that the dude can jump.
(VIDEO CREDIT: The Ballgame.)
Who am I picking? I feel like there is no clear favorite in my view. People would probably pick Toppin because he’s known for this. But I’m going to go with Cassius Stanley because I feel like he might have the most in his bag. Especially with that 44-inch vert. Woof.
And for fun, my other picks for the other events in tonight’s game.
Bullet Passes
The Skills Challenge has six participants in Chris Paul, Luka Doncic, Julius Randle, Domantas Sabonis, Robert Covington, and Nikola Vucevic. Paul and Doncic are getting byes to the first round because they have multiple all-star berths. That’s fair.
I got Chris Paul on this one.
The three-point shootout is star-studded with Stephen Curry, Zach LaVine, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Mike Conley. Conley is replacing Devin Booker in both the contest and the All-Star Game itself.
It’s easy for me to pick Curry. And I’m sure most others would, too.
Of course, this was going to happen. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are out of the game due to contract tracing. Simmons is on LeBron‘s team while Embiid is on Durant‘s.
There are going to be no late replacements as of now so both teams will operate under 11-man rosters. Zion Williamson has been moved up to the starting line-up to take Embiid’s spot.
The NBA All-Star Game is donating money to HBCUs, which is the narrative the NBA is going with for having this game. We all know it’s all about the money. But yes, they have to make this look great because it’s not exactly safe to have an additional game when they’ve already postponed many games. I mean, they couldn’t help HBCUs out before?
Either way, they’ve been deep into this for weeks now and there is nothing I/we can say or do about it. Let’s try to enjoy this and let’s all hope for their safety.
Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the NBA as well.
You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
You can also check out Rey-Rey’s podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental, for more basketball content and, really, whatever else.