Obi Toppin addressed his trade from the Knicks to the Indiana Pacers for the first time Sunday when he met with the media on a Zoom call.
"I had a great time with the Knicks," Toppin said. "Obviously, it's been a dream to have the opportunity to play in MSG and, obviously, put that Knicks jersey on.
"It was great players there, great coaches -- everybody was amazing there -- but definitely super excited to have this new journey and start out here in Indiana."
The 25-year-old Toppin -- a Brooklyn native, whom New York selected from Dayton with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft -- averaged seven points and three rebounds in 14.7 minutes over 201 regular-season games (15 starts) from 2020-23.
"I'm not going to say it's super frustrating -- things happen for a reason," Toppin said. "But I'm just super excited, living in the moment, glad to be here in Indy and can't wait to get started."
As a third-year pro on the 2022-23 campaign, Toppin started 5 of 67 regular-season games while averaging 7.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 15.7 minutes.
"All I can do is just do whatever the coaches are asking me to do," said Toppin, who logged 15.9 minutes in 11 playoff games (one start) during the Knicks' run to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
"Whether that's being out there on the floor, having great energy, doing whatever I needed to do to help the team win. I ain't get the minutes I wanted, but now, it's a new start. I'm here in Indy, I've got to work for everything I want, so I'm super excited to start that."
With the Pacers, Toppin embarks on a new chapter while joining a young roster that features the likes of Tyrese Haliburton -- the 2020 NBA Draft's No. 12 overall pick by the Sacramento Kings and a first-time All-Star in the 2022-23 season.
"I feel like all I'm going to do is just let my work speak for itself," Toppin said. "Like I said, I'm super excited to have the opportunity to have this fresh start, be out here in Indy. And like I said before, I'm going to work for everything I'm going to get in the future."