Who are Jacob Toppin's parents, Obadiah and Roni Toppin? A closer look at the Kentucky forward's private life
Jacob Toppin's parents are Roni and Obadiah Toppin. His mother, Roni, is an educator at Washington Height Middle School. She was a volleyball coach when she met Obadiah.
On the other hand, Jacob's dad is a former basketball athlete. He was a popular street baller going by the nickname "Dunkers Delight" and played for different semi-professional basketball teams in Brooklyn. After high school, he ventured more into basketball, joining Globe Tech, where he averaged 23.5 points.
Through his basketball career, he was able to make it to the all-star team with ABA’s Harlem Strong Dogs. He was so popular he was featured in big commercials with legends like Vince Carter for a Gatorade campaign. In the minor leagues, he was able to play for the Court Kingz for a short tenure.
The couple is blessed with two sons, Obi (born on March 2, 1998) and Jacob (born on May 8, 2000). Their children are mixed race since Obadiah is of Barbadian descent while Roni is of Italian and Jewish descent.
Jacob Toppin’s basketball career
Jacob Toppin grew up in Brooklyn, New York. While at Woodstock Academy, he averaged 8.8 rebounds and 15.6 points per game. He was among the few high school athletes who received offers without signing a letter of intent.
He committed to the Rhode Island program and saw action in 30 games as a freshman. His team recorded a 13-5 finish in the Atlantic 10 and although he only made three starts, he averaged 3.9 rebounds and 5.1 points per game.
As a sophomore, Jacob Toppin saw action in 24 games for Kentucky. He averaged 3.7 rebounds and 5.1 points per game. Toppin recorded three steals, the highest in his career at Ole Miss, and a career-high 16 scores at Vanderbilt.
As a junior, he played 29 games for the Wildcats, making four starts. He averaged 3.2 rebounds and 6.2 points per game but suffered an injury and missed five matchups. Nonetheless, he won Southeastern Conference Winter honors.
Obi Toppin’s basketball career
Like his brother, Obi was raised in Brooklyn, New York. His family spent time in Florida, where he joined Heritage High before transferring to Melbourne Central Catholic. His family returned to New York and Obi transferred to Ossining High.
In his senior year, the guard averaged 8.1 rebounds and 20.6 points per game.
The 6-foot-9 athlete joined Mount Zion Academy averaging four assists, 8 rebounds and 17 points per game. He grabbed the attention of basketball scouts from several schools but opted to join Dayton.
NCAA declared him an academic redshirt, and he didn’t participate in any event in the 2017-18 season. However, he was a cheerleader during the season and won the Dr. George Rau Award. He became the first non-active player to get the reward. He played two seasons for Dayton and averaged 17.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.0 BPG, 2.0 APG, and .8 SPG.