Nikola Topić – the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2024 first-round draft pick – made his NBA debut four months after being diagnostic suffering from testicular cancer…receiving a standing ovation from the crowd!
The powerful moment ended with less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter of Thursday’s game. Topić was about to get the ball when the Paycom Center applauded the 20-year-old after his long-awaited return to the field.
A standing ovation for Nikola Topić 👏
The 12th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft makes his NBA debut for the @okcthunder This evening!
Tap to watch: https://t.co/H43cOyWuWn pic.twitter.com/J72f4kQMiN
-NBA (@NBA) February 13, 2026
@NBA
Topic tapped his heart in a gesture towards the crowd before tucking the ball in and restarting the action. In 12 minutes of action, he scored two points with an assist and a rebound.
“He’s obviously been through a lot of adversity in his life over the last few years,” the Thunder coach said. Marc Daigneault said. “He’s a young man that all he wants to do is play basketball and that’s been taken away from him multiple times, and so for him to work this far, to get on the court is a big accomplishment.”
Daigneault is referring to a knee injury Topić suffered before the NBA draft, which knocked him out for the entirety of the 2024-25 NBA season.
After a biopsy revealed he had the disease, NT underwent three rounds of chemotherapy, according to his coach. He then regained his form, returned to the G League on Tuesday and joined OKC just before the All-Star break.
The Thunder would lose the game against the Milwaukee Bucks with a final score of 110-93… but the biggest victory of the evening was won by Topić.
