Obi Toppin will be first Flyer to play in NBA Finals in nearly 50 years
Obi Toppin will be the first former Flyer to play in the NBA Finals in 48 years when the Indiana Pacers face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday night.
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The last Dayton Flyer to play in the NBA Finals was Johnny Davis.
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Davis was a rookie for the Portland Trailblazers during the 1976-1977 season.
The Trailblazers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 4-2 for the 1977 title. Davis started in all six games and averaged 10.5 points per game.
As a Flyer, Davis sits at 18th on the all-time scoring board, averaging 19.3 points per game in his career.
Two other Flyers have been on teams that advanced to the NBA Finals, but did not see any playing time.
Kostas Antetokounmpo earned a ring with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, but did not see any court action in the playoffs. He played for the Flyers from 2016-2018.
Negele Knight was a member of the Phoenix Suns roster in 1993 when they lost to the Chicago Bulls in Game 6. He played for Dayton from 1985-1990 and is eighth on the all-time scorers board.
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TRENDING STORIES:
Toppin proved himself a pivotal player in the Pacers' Game 6 victory of the Eastern Conference Final over his former team, the New York Knicks, on Saturday.
He scored 18 points in their 125-108 win to advance to the NBA Finals.
Toppin averaged nine points per game in the series against the Knicks.
In his career as a Flyer, Toppin scored 17.1 points per game.
He sits on top of the leaderboard for the most points scored by a freshman, scoring 475 points in 33 games during the 2018-2019 season.
He was drafted as the eighth pick in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks. He played for the Knicks for three seasons before his move to the Pacers.
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Toppin is 42nd on the all-time scoring board at Dayton.
The first game of the NBA Finals will start at 8:30 p.m. ET as the Indiana Pacers play the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center.
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