BACK IN N.Y. GROOVE
City hasn’t had a Top 5 pick in two decades, but that might soon change
Think about this for a second: New York City, long ago labeled the Mecca of Basketball, hasn’t produced a top-5 NBA draft pick in more than 20 years. The last time was 1999, when both No. 1 Elton Brand and No. 4 Lamar Odom began their All-Star careers. Before them, it was commonplace for NYC to represent in the top-5: Stephon Marbury (4th in 1996), Jamal Mashburn (4th in 1993), Kenny Anderson (2nd in 1991), S idney Green (5th, 1983), etc. We can go back to Lew Alcindor, Bob Cousy and Lenny Wilkens.
Unfortunately, the game has moved away from NYC. Clout is now chased on Instagram, not at the playground.
But there’s a high-flying forward who might break the streak next month: Obi Toppin from Bushwick.
The 22-year-old was raised by NYC streetball, with a father, Obadiah, who built a strong rep on Brooklyn’s playground courts. His mother, Roni, is a special education teacher in Washington Heights. His godfather and mentor, Victor Monaros, played high school at Bishop Loughlin in Brooklyn and AAU at Riverside Church before a professional career overseas.
“He calls Brooklyn home,” Monaros told the Daily News. “It’s where he’s from. It’s where he watched his father and me play in tournaments. He’s Brooklyn.”
But Toppin, who is projected as a top-5 pick out of the University of Dayton, isn’t a NYC baller in the traditional sense. Not like fellow 2020 draft prospect Cole Anthony, who went to Archbishop Molloy in Queens and should get picked later in the first round. Toppin holds no City championships, for instance, having attended three high schools located in Florida, Westchester and Baltimore.
Toppin avoided the AAU circuit until he was older, so there wasn’t the buzz or hype often connected to youngsters who slay the camps for Gauchos or Riverside. In fact, Toppin wouldn’t have been recruited by a D-I program without his post-graduate season at Mount Zion in Baltimore.
Then last season – before the pandemic — Toppin developed into the nation’s top college player, averaging 20 points on 63% shooting. A late bloomer, Toppin’s the oldest top-10 prospect but also bursting with pickand-roll athletic potential.
The most consistent NBA comparisons have been to Amar’e Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin, but Toppin is a better shooter. If he lacks transferable skills, it’s on defense.
And Monaros dismisses any concerns about Toppin’s age.
“As long as you’re taking care of your body, not drinking, not smoking, you’re doing the right thing — you can keep your body going,” said Monaros, who also runs a non-profit mentoring program called Educating Athletes on the Rise. “Change the oil in the car and it’s going to ride forever.”
According to Monaros, Toppin has spent the long offseason training and getting stronger. He’s working out with former NBA guard Rick Brunson, who was the first client of Knicks president Leon Rose when he was an agent at CAA. (Toppin signed with CAA agents Austin Brown and Mitch Nathan.) He also uses a gym in Cherry Hill, N.J. that is owned by former NBA guard Dajuan Wagner.
But assuming the Knicks don’t trade up, Toppin is unlikely to be on the board when the local team chooses eighth. After all, NYC is past due for another top-5 pick.
Monaros is trusting the work. “When it’s time to lace it up, they’re going to see another level of Obi,” he said.