BASKETBALL star Nikola Topic finally made his NBA debut for the Oklahoma Thunder after undergoing treatment for testicular cancer.
Topic, 20, has been going through a rough patch after being ruled out of his debut season in 2024-25 due to a knee injury before his battle with cancer.
He announced his shock diagnosis in October while he was undergoing a period of chemotherapy.
But he has now made an incredible recovery after being introduced during Thunder110-93 defeat against Milwaukee Bucks in the first trimester.
The point guard managed to score two points after a rebound and an assist in the game, which earned him huge praise from coach Mark Daigneault.
He said of Topic after the match: “I’m just delighted for him.
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“He’s obviously been through a lot of adversity in his life over the last couple of years.
“He’s a young man who just wants to play basketball and it was taken away from him on several occasions.
“And so for him to work on his own to this point, to put himself on the field is a great achievement.
“Definitely a very good feel-good evening for his family, for him and for our team despite the fact that we didn’t play our best game.”
Daigneault insisted the team didn’t have high expectations of Topic and only wanted to get him on the field to improve his fitness.
He added: “It was like a unique pocket to bring him into our team with very little expectations from a performance point of view.
“We’re just happy he came out tonight and he’s on this track. That’s the most important thing.”
Thunder general manager Sam Presti initially said doctors were “extremely positive” about Topic’s situation.
After his first cancer revelation, he thanked his fans in an Instagram post, writing: “Thank you for all your support, I will come back even stronger.”
Last month, he returned to action for the first time since starting chemotherapy, posting a photo of himself at Thunder practice and writing, “Back on the court.”
He was the 12th pick of 2024 NBA Drafted and will now look forward to getting his basketball career back on track.
