Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topić is undergoing chemotherapy after being diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Thunder general manager Sam Presti announced Thursday that Topić’s diagnosis was confirmed after he underwent surgery this month to take a biopsy and has already started the doctor’s recommended chemotherapy treatment plan.
Presti said the medical staff working with Topić were “extremely positive about his long-term prospects”.
thunder announcement on October 6, Topić would be re-evaluated four to six weeks after undergoing a testicular procedure.
According to Presti, the surgery took place at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Topić’s biopsy came back positive for cancer, but he did not want to make the diagnosis public until he had started treatment.
Presti noted that Topić has been training with the Thunder at their facilities, although there is no timetable for him to participate in games.
Oklahoma City selected Topić with the No. 12 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He did not play as a rookie due to a Torn ACL suffered in the Adriatic League playoff finals while playing for Red Star Belgrade in Serbia.
Topić debuted for the Thunder in July during the summer league. He averaged 10.8 points, 5.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game in five appearances.
The Serbia native also appeared in Oklahoma City’s first preseason game, scoring 10 points and dishing out seven assists in 32 minutes against the Charlotte Hornets on October 5.
Topić was with his Thunder teammates at the Paycom Center for the regular season opener against the Houston Rockets on October 21. He received his championship ring from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver as part of pregame ceremonies honoring Oklahoma City’s 2024-25 Finals victory.
