Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Todd was raised by his mother, Marlene Venable, and did not know his father well. His mother sold cocaine and heroin at age 12 and served over three years in prison when she was 16. She was released from prison about four years before Todd's birth. When Todd started playing basketball, at age seven, he stood five feet tall. At that age, he met his first coach, Derrick Wilson, and began playing on recreational teams and on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit. Before eighth grade, Todd moved to Richmond, Virginia so that he could play year-round for his AAU program, Team Loaded.
High school career
In his first two years of high school, Todd played basketball for John Marshall High School in Richmond. As a freshman, he averaged 12.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, leading his team to district and regional titles. Todd was considered one of the area's best prospects since Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Moses Malone. As a sophomore, Todd averaged 18.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, shooting 39 percent from three-point range, to help John Marshall win the Class 3 state championship. He was recognized as the Class 3 State Player of the Year and earned first-team All-Metro honors. For his junior season, Todd transferred to Trinity Academy, a private Christian school in Raleigh, North Carolina, on a scholarship. He was drawn there by coach Bryan Burrell, who he had previously worked with. Moving to Raleigh also allowed him to work closely with his personal trainer, Drew Hanlen. Todd led the team, which had been coming off two losing seasons, to a 21–12 record while averaging 28 points and 15 rebounds per game. He was named USA Today All-USA North Carolina Player of the Year. Todd transferred to another private Christian school in Raleigh, Word of God Christian Academy, for his final high school season, playing under Byron Williams. As a senior, he was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic, but both games were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Recruiting
Entering his sophomore season at John Marshall, Todd was ranked as the number one recruit in the 2020 class by ESPN. On October 17, 2019, he committed to play college basketball for Michigan over offers from Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina, among others. At the time, Todd was a consensus top-15 player in his class. On April 14, 2020, he decommitted from Michigan and announced that he would forgo his college eligibility to pursue a professional career.
Professional career
On April 17, 2020, Todd signed one-year contract of up to $250,000 with the NBA G League and joined the G League Select Team as a part of the league's new developmental program operating outside its traditional team structure. He was drawn to the G League because he wanted to "learn from pros and learn from NBA coaches and trainers."
