Knicks rookie Obi Toppin's mother emotional as fans cheer for her son at Madison Square Garden
Knicks selected Toppin in lottery of last year's draft
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The mother of New York Knicks rookie Obi Toppin was seen in tears as the Madison Square Garden crowd chanted his name in the fourth quarter of the team’s Game 2 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Toppin came off the bench and threw down a thunderous alley-oop pass from teammate Alec Burks. The Garden started to chant "Obi," "Obi," "Obi."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The cameras turned to Toppin’s mother, Roni Toppin, and she was seen in her son’s University of Dayton jersey and wiping away tears.
The Knicks selected Toppin with the No. 8 pick in the draft out of Dayton – only months after he was named the National College Player of the Year. Toppin’s 2019-20 college basketball season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Flyers were 29-2 overall but their run in the tournament would never play out.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Toppin ended up turning pro and became an important pick for the Knicks.
He played in 62 games for New York during his first season, never starting a game. He averaged 4.1 points and 2.2 rebounds and was an important person to come off the bench.
In Wednesday night’s 101-92 victory, Toppin scored eight points and grabbed three rebounds in nearly 12 minutes. He had five points and one rebound in the team’s loss last weekend.
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The series now shifts back to Atlanta. Game 3 will take place Friday night at 7 p.m. ET.