LOS ANGELES, CA (April 7, 2020) – The Los Angeles Athletic Club announced that Obi Toppin of Dayton is the winner of the 2020 John R. Wooden Award® presented by Wendy’s® Men’s Player of the Year. The announcement was made during ESPN SportsCenter.

Obi Toppin is the first player from Dayton to receive the honor and the first from the Atlantic-10 Conference since Jameer Nelson (St. Joseph’s) won in 2004. He was the only player in the country who averaged 20.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and shot 60% from the field, while being in the top-5 nationally in field goal percentage. He led the nation in dunks with a school-record 107 and his 190 career dunks are also a Dayton record.

Voting took place from March 16-23, 2020. As insisted upon by Coach Wooden at the Award’s creation 44 years ago, all players were certified by their universities as meeting or exceeding the criteria of the John R. Wooden Award.

About the John R. Wooden Award

Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award Program hosts the most prestigious honors in college basketball recognizing The Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player for men and women, The Wooden Award All American Teams for men and women and the annual selection of the Wooden Award Legend of Coaching recipient. Honorees have proven to their university that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the John R. Wooden Award as set forth by Coach Wooden and the Wooden Award Steering Committee, including making progress towards graduation and maintaining at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Previous winners include Larry Bird (’79), Michael Jordan (’84), Tim Duncan (’97), Kevin Durant (’07), Candace Parker (’07; ’08), Maya Moore (’09; ’11), Chiney Ogwumike (’14).

Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed over one million dollars to the universities’ general scholarship fund in the names of the Wooden Award All American™ recipients and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps.

For up-to-date information on the Wooden Award, please go to www.woodenaward.com and follow the Wooden Award on Facebook at www.facebook.com/woodenaward and @WoodenAward on Twitter and Instagram.

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John R. Wooden Award

Presented by Wendy’s

Men’s Player of the Year