Knicks' Obi Toppin Didn't Feel 'Robbed' in Dunk Contest Loss to Anfernee Simons

New York Knicks rookie Obi Toppin wasn't bitter after finishing second to Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons in the 2021 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.   

"I didn't feel like I got robbed at all," Toppin told reporters Sunday night. "Anfernee is a great dunker and got all three of his dunks on the first try. The second and third, I had to do it a second time. If I got it on my first, it would've been a different result. I don't think I got robbed at all. He deserved that trophy."

The controversy—to the extent one could call it that—stemmed from Simons' final dunk. He tried to kiss the rim as he threw down a one-handed jam but was clearly short of achieving the trick while completing a right-handed jam.

That was still enough for Simons to earn three votes from the five-judge panel.

Toppin certainly put on a show, at one point jumping over Knicks teammate Julius Randle and his father, Obadiah, and finishing a windmill dunk.

In general, Simons winning with a dunk he didn't fully pull off summed up the event as a whole. Even Hall of Famer Magic Johnson was underwhelmed by the whole thing:

This year's edition was doomed from the start. Attempting to fit a compelling Slam Dunk Contest into halftime of the All-Star Game was next to impossible, and the stringent COVID-19 health and safety protocols might have dissuaded some otherwise interested players from taking part.

Compare the level of star power in the Dunk Contest to the Three-Point Contest, which had Stephen Curry, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Zach LaVine, Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley Jr.

With the NBA planning to stage the 2022 All-Star Game in Cleveland, perhaps Toppin and Simons can both return to show what they can do in a more normal competition.