Oklahoma City Thunder player Nikola Topic has been diagnosed with testicular cancer, the team’s manager announced Thursday. The 20-year-old guard, who was the 12th pick in the 2024 draft, will delay his big league debut to undergo chemotherapy treatment. Team general manager Sam Presti told reporters that Topic’s doctors were “extremely positive” about his treatment. Presti said Topic was diagnosed after undergoing a biopsy at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston in early October. He did not want the news of his diagnosis to be shared with the public before he began treatment. “Our only expectations of him are to focus on that,” Presti said. While the player was training and practicing, team administration said they were “putting no time frame or expectation” on the start of his NBA debut. The Serbian player had a rough start to his basketball career, as he was unable to play last season due to a torn ACL.
