Obi Toppin — The High-Flying Dad

How the family friendly Pacers forward builds his legacy off the court.

Cover image generated by the author.

My daughter loves Obi Toppin.

When the Indiana Pacers traded two future second-round picks for the high-flying forward from New York, Sienna was immediately a fan. Not because she knew who Obi was, but because her Papa, a die-hard Knicks fan, was sad that he was traded to the Pacers.

What started as low-level troll sessions of Sienna rubbing every great Obi performance in her Papa's face turned into a genuine love for his game.

If she walks into the room as a Pacers game is on, her first question is, "Where's Obi?" When we cheered Tyrese Haliburton and Team USA to a Gold Medal, all Sienna wanted to know was why Obi Toppin wasn't on the team.

My daughter holding her newly signed Obi Toppin jersey

I coach my daughters’ basketball teams, and on our first day of practice, I like to ask the kids who their favorite players are. Being in Northern California, I got Steph Curry, of course. I got a couple of LeBrons, Kobes, and even a Michael Jordan. But Sienna? "Obi Toppin," she proudly exclaimed. The guy I coach with wanted to confirm, "Did she just say Obi Toppin?" and my response was, "Yup! That's her all-time favorite player."

As a Pacers fan, you can't help but root for Obi. He plays with energy, he does anything that's asked of him, and if he's on a fast break, look out, world!

Before his arrival, the Pacers were among the lowest-made alley-oops in the NBA over the previous decade, and while alley-oops aren't synonymous with winning basketball, they sure make everything more exciting. With Obi on the court, it feels like every possession could end in a dunk.

But Obi isn't just fun to root for on the court, he's even more fun to root for off it.

When the Pacers traveled to Paris in January 2024, Obi popped the question to his now fiancée, Magdalena Bellinger. The streamers, the rose petals, the location. Everything about the proposal was stunning. Obi and Magdalena share two children, Remi and Oziah, so while I'm sure he knew what her answer would be, he still had a few butterflies.

"But it wasn't really a lot of nerves because I love her a lot and it was just meant to be."

Pacers Social will share videos and photos of Obi in dad mode, bringing his daughter onto the court to participate in warm-ups or taking her to Indiana Fever games in the summer.

In a world where NBA players feel buttoned up or unapproachable, Obi feels human. Obi feels like a dad. You know he could put you on the meanest poster, but he could also watch your bag at the park as you take your kid to the bathroom.

Image photographed by Cara Daugherty

Kids around the globe look up to NBA players. They are modern-day superheroes out on the court.

There's a reason teams invest heavily in family activities, as one interaction with an NBA player can create a lifelong fan.

In Indianapolis, Obi Toppin is known for his love for kids. Often before games, Obi will pick a kid out of the crowd to help him with his warm-up routine, whether that's passing it to him during his 3-point warm-ups or setting up an incredible alley-oop dunk.

Without fail, every interaction is heartwarming, almost as if the kindest person you know were transported into an NBA player for the sole purpose of making a kid's dream come true. You can catch the parents in the background of each video with permanent smiles, knowing they're witnessing a memory that will last a lifetime.

Watching your kid meet a high-flying superhero will stick with you; I know it has for me.

Every year, when the NBA schedule is released, I immediately check to see when the Pacers come to Sacramento and build a plan to buy tickets at the best possible price. Sacramento is the closest NBA city to me, and while San Francisco is also within an hour of my home, four tickets to a Warriors game, plus parking and food, can easily equal a month of our mortgage.

This season, the Pacers made their way to Sacramento on a Sunday afternoon, literally the perfect time for a Pacers game with the family. As I searched for tickets to the game, I found passes to enter the arena an hour early to watch the Pacers warm up.

It was three days before Christmas, and my hope is to have Rae meet her favorite player, Myles Turner, and Si to meet and throw an alley-oop to Obi Toppin.

We saw Myles warm up, and while he said hi, we didn't get to interact with him (which is totally justifiable). And unfortunately, as our time was up, Obi Toppin hadn't hit the court yet. Of course, as we make our way to our seats, who comes out to the court? Obi.

Before we make our way to the seats, we stop by the player tunnel in hopes of catching a few high-fives for the girls. Rae got autographs from Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin while Si kept her eyes on Obi.

Me and the family at a Pacers game in Sacramento.

Minutes later, Obi makes his way to the tunnel. "Obi!" we yell out. As he looks up in the sea of people who mainly want their merchandise signed, Obi spots my daughter in her bright yellow Obi Toppin jersey that he signed the previous year.

Before going through the tunnel like every player does, Obi takes a left, walking up into the stands before saying to Sienna, "It's good to see you again!"

The two chatted briefly, exchanging love for each other's shoes, before waving bye and heading back to the tunnel.

The entire interaction was maybe ten seconds, but it was real, genuine, and human. Obi knew that, on some level, ten seconds out of his day could leave my five-year-old with a story she'd tell her friends about at school. And while he didn't need to come and say hi to a young fan, I can't help but feel like the dad in him couldn't resist.

After geeking out over the interaction, a Kings season ticket holder who sits in that area turned to me to say, "In all my years of sitting here, I have never seen a player do what he just did."

Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin stops to say hi to my daughter in Sacramento.

I know it's just basketball. There are a million more important things in the world than watching world-class athletes put a ball in a hoop, but when you're a fan of the game, you’re a fan of the athletes.

I can't help but root for Obi, on the court, of course, but especially off it. Obi is a winning dad, a winning fiancé, a winning teammate, and a winning human being.

I can't claim to have spent time around a lot of players, but for many justifiable reasons, players tend to default to being a bit reserved around fans. I get it. Can you imagine getting hounded with dozens of selfie requests on your way to your Accounting job? Or worse, imagine getting angry DMs saying “You Suck!” after having an off day? I'd be a bit reserved, too!

But from his breakaway Eastbay dunks to the way he shows up for little fans like my Sienna, Obi Toppin is the real deal.

I will always root for dads. I want to see them succeed in every area of their lives, especially at home, so when I see dads like Obi Toppin paying it forward to the next generation, it gives me hope that more of us can play our part in making the lives around us a little bit better.