6. Obi Toppin
Indiana Pacers power forward Obi Toppin, 27, is in his sixth NBA season. While playing college hoops at Dayton, the New York City native earned numerous accolades, including the Naismith College Player of the Year award.
When the pandemic led to the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA March Madness tournament, Toppin retweeted a prayer from a Maryland pastor:
Dear Lord, Today, may I live with the attitude, that what God promised me is still alive. I’m not moved by what I feel, by what’s not working out, by how long it’s been, or by what hasn’t improved. but may You remind me that what You’ve started in my life You will finish. Amen.
On his arm, Toppin has a tattoo of a basketball atop a pair of praying hands. “When I’m playing, I’ll look at the tattoo and tell myself that God put me in this position so I need to be grateful for it,” he said in 2019.
“Growing up, my family was very spiritual,” Toppin added. “The combination of my dad being a basketball player and my grandmother always being around praying for us showed me how [faith and sports] build off each other.”
_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}
