NBA All-Stars

Knicks rookie Obi Toppin, 2 others to compete in 2021 NBA Slam Dunk Contest

Martin Mendoza

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Knicks rookie Obi Toppin, 2 others to compete in 2021 NBA Slam Dunk Contest

FLY HIGH. Knicks rookie Obi Toppin will showcase his aerial exploits in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Photo by John Minchillo/Pool Photo/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Obi Toppin, Cassius Stanley, and Anfernee Simmons are set to take flight in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest

A new Slam Dunk champion will be crowned this year as first-time participants Obi Toppin of the New York Knicks, Cassius Stanley of the Indiana Pacers, and Anfernee Simmons of the Portland Trail Blazers are set to take flight in the 2021 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

The 36th Slam Dunk Contest will take place at halftime of the 2021 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, March 7 (Monday, March 8, Manila time) in Atlanta.

Before being drafted by the Knicks with the 8th pick, rookie forward Toppin led the nation in dunks as a redshirt sophomore at the University of Dayton last season.

The 6-foot-9 Toppin was named the consensus National College Player of the Year.

Knicks rookie Obi Toppin, 2 others to compete in 2021 NBA Slam Dunk Contest

Stanley, meanwhile, is the 54th pick of the Pacers in the recent NBA Draft.

The 6-foot-5 rookie guard, who is on a two-way contract, recorded a maximum vertical leap of 44 inches in last year’s NBA Draft Combine, tied for the third-highest mark since 2000.

Knicks rookie Obi Toppin, 2 others to compete in 2021 NBA Slam Dunk Contest

Lastly, Simmons is the 24th pick of the Trail Blazers in the 2018 NBA Draft.

The 6-foot-3 guard is currently averaging 8.2 points and shooting a career-high 40.7% from three-point range this season.

Knicks rookie Obi Toppin, 2 others to compete in 2021 NBA Slam Dunk Contest

Former Slam Dunk champions Dominique Wilkins, Dee Brown, Jason Richardson, Josh Smith, and Spudd Webb will serve as the judges for the event. 

The Slam Dunk Contest will be a two-round competition, with the 3 participants performing two dunks each in the first round.

Judges will score each dunk on a scale of 6 to 10, resulting in a maximum score of 50 and a minimum score of 30.  

The two players with the highest combined score for their two dunks (a maximum of 100 and a minimum of 60) will advance to the final round.

In the final round, the two competitors will perform one dunk each. The winner will be determined by “Judges’ Choice” instead of an individual score. The judges will choose the winner by raising a card that has the dunker’s name on it. – Rappler.com

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