Jericho Sims can hit his head on the rim and now he’s taking that talent to the Slam Dunk contest.
The high-flying Knicks center accepted a late invitation to competition following Tuesday’s game in Orlando, a source told the Daily News. The opportunity arose because one of the other four original competitors —Portland’s Shaedon Sharpe — withdrew to reportedly “concentrate on the rest of the season.”
Sims, who was endorsed for the contest by Ja Morant, was previously considered for a spot but, according to sources, the league was first waiting to hear from Knicks forward Obi Toppin, who was waffling back-and-forth on whether he’d defend his 2021 title.
![Jericho Sims will display his high flying ability in the slam dunk contest.](https://www.nydailynews.com/resizer/5bvfNSxJp-FsCq6KNJ_nHHK39HA=/1440x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/NMQJ5VAVGCW6U6U3KJTUKBSMOE.jpg)
As recently as last week, Toppin told the Daily News he remained undecided.
But Sims was always eager for the opportunity and has the hops to unleash something unprecedented. At 6-foot-10 tall, Sims recorded the third-highest vertical in the history of the NBA combine. His nose can probably clear the rim on an alley-oop attempt.
The three other competitors in the contest, which takes place Feb. 18 in Salt Lake City, are Houston’s KJ Martin, New Orleans’ Trey Murphy and the G League’s Mac McClung.
East All-Star Julius Randle and Rising Stars Challenge selection Quentin Grimes are the other Knicks representatives at All-Star weekend. Jalen Brunson is also a candidate to replace the injured Kevin Durant in the All-Star Game.