The reaction Nikola Topić received — a standing ovation from Thunder fans inside the Paycom Center on Thursday, on his first recording at the end of the first quarter — captured the magnitude of the moment.
Topić, Oklahoma City’s first-round pick at No. 12 in the 2024 NBA Draft, was on the verge of making his debut for more than a year.
First, there was the torn ACL that kept him sidelined for all of last season, forcing him to miss the Thunder’s entire championship run.
And then there was the testicular procedure in October, diagnosis of testicular cancer and the chemotherapy that upended the point guard’s career and also kept him out of the lineup for the first 55 games of the season.
But in the Thunder’s 110-93 loss to the Bucks, Topić took the court for the first time as an NBA player in a heartwarming scene and contributed two points, an assist and a rebound in 12 minutes.
“He could have made 100 shots, but missed 100,” Thunder teammate Chet Holmgren said after the game. “Tonight is an incredible match for him.”
After checking out the game, with Thunder fans cheering around him, Topić patted his chest while standing under the basket before getting the ball, tucking it in and receiving a return pass to bring it up the court.
It was a small step for Topić in his return, as head coach Mark Daigneault described the 20-year-old as still in the “early stages” of his return to full playing form in terms of fitness, athleticism and strength.
He appeared in a preseason game for the Thunder in October before his absence, then played in two games for their G League team this week before returning.
“Anyone who fights cancer is fighting for their life,” Holmgren said. “I could never understand what that is, and it just speaks to the strength of (Topić) and who he is as a person. It would have been completely justified for him to burden everyone around him, to sulk and be angry at the world because the kid that he is, he doesn’t deserve this. We’re all so happy that he was able to fight and get back to hoops.”
The Thunder, despite the loss, entered the All-Star break as the top seed in the Western Conference with a 42-14 record.
