Determined to Surpass his Brother, Taller Jacob Toppin Prepares for a Breakout Season

Chet White | UK Athletics

Jacob Toppin has heard the questions once or twice. That happens when you’re older brother is college basketball’s consensus National Player of the Year. Toppin has spent the offseason in the gym, working to turn the table so others will one day pepper Obi with questions about his little brother.

The unofficial start to Toppin’s second Kentucky season began at a youth basketball camp in Bardstown. After floating around between groups of youngsters, the upperclassman drew some barbs from his head coach. “This guy thinks he’s better than his brother, Obi,” Cal said through the mic.

That wasn’t a joke. Jacob Toppin believes he’s better than Obi.

“Yes, I do,” Jacob told the large group of media members at Thomas Nelson High School. “I think I have the confidence in myself that I can be better than him. Right now, I’m probably not, but I can definitely be better than my brother.”

Of course, Jacob does not have the pedigree to match his brother’s… yet. That does no deter the younger Toppin. The competition between the two only inspires him to work harder at his craft.

“We have two different game styles. I think I can shoot a little bit better. I could go off the dribble more. I can play defense. I can play both sides of the court,” Toppin said. “I think as time goes by I’ll be better than him.”

One thing is certain: Jacob has gotten bigger than Obi. The elder Toppin famously grew seven inches between his junior season of high school basketball to his dominant 2020 campaign with the Dayton Flyers. A slow cooker of sorts, when Jacob announced his intent to transfer from Rhode Island to Kentucky, many Big Blue fans believed the late-blooming gene ran in the family. This summer proved they weren’t just looking through blue-tinted glasses.

“I definitely think I grew an inch. I came back and Cal looked at me and (said), ‘Whoa, did you grow?’ I was standing next to my brother, and I’m like right there, a little taller. I’m definitely growing a little bit more.”

At least 6-foot-9, he stared eye-to-eye with lengthy freshmen Daimion Collins, making Toppin the tallest player on the team not named Oscar Tshiebwe. In the weight room, Toppin’s goal is to add ten pounds to his frame. On the court, Jacob spent the month of May at home in New York working on his jump shot and ball-handling to improve his game and ultimately catch up with his big brother.

“I like the challenge. There’s no pressure because to me, I feel like I’m going to have a breakout year. I’ve been working, I’ve putting in the work, I’m building my confidence shooting the ball, dribbling, playing lower. I’m definitely excited to see what’s going to happen,” Toppin said.

Some may think it’s difficult to grow up in the shadows of Obi Toppin. Instead, Jacob uses it s inspiration. In constant competition with one another for as long as they can remember, Jacob saw Obi reap the fruits of his labor in the NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden.

“It was a crazy experience,” Toppin said. “Hearing the crowd chant, ‘Obi! Obi!’ That was so surreal.”

Yearning for his own surreal experience, Jacob Toppin is driven to make the most of his opportunity at Kentucky, and maybe more importantly, beat his brother.

OBI TOPPIN HAS THE GARDEN POPPIN' pic.twitter.com/znDgCKYIv2

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 27, 2021

Knicks rookie Obi Toppin's mom teared up as Madison Square Garden chanted her son's name 🥺 @obitoppin1 pic.twitter.com/CZoU6w587J

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 27, 2021