The Oklahoma City Thunder could see Nikola Topic participate in an NBA game sooner rather than later.
Having missed what was supposed to be his rookie season with a torn ACLTopic’s second attempt to start his NBA career was watched with wide eyes. In a tragic twist, his NBA debut then took place blocked by a diagnosis of testicular cancer; a truly unforeseen circumstance. Prescribed chemotherapy treatment shortly after his first preseason match, the 20-year-old received an outpouring of support. Even though it was an auspicious treatment, there are a mountain of anecdotes about how the chemotherapy process wreaks havoc on the body.
On Monday, a hairless Topic posted a photo of himself on Instagram.
The legend was short. Simple. Powerful.
“Back on the pitch,” we could read.
The 12th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft, Topic was the beneficiary of two philosophical moves.
At 6-foot-6 and 200 pounds, he was considered one of the next giant guards capable of thriving in the American professional game. Indeed, he would soon become teammates with arguably the best big guards in the league: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. For reference, Gilgeous-Alexander is 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 195 pounds.
Second, after decades of disregarding European perspectives, they are now fashionable. Although they are not yet considered optimal athletes, their fundamentals and approach to the game are praised. Thanks to the success of the Denver Nuggets center Nikola JokicTopic’s Serbian roots only helped him gain popularity.
The message was consistent
To be clear, this isn’t exactly his first time on the field since undergoing chemotherapy. Topic began participating in pre-match warm-ups on December 18. Although he was only seen in glimpses, with the cameras capturing him for just a few seconds, his energy And Morale seemed to be good.
Nikola Topic on the field. pic.twitter.com/6vCHhmGaC2
– Daily Thunder (@dailythunder) December 23, 2025
When asked about Topic’s presence on the court, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault told reporters (along with Thunder Wire reporter Clemente Almanza):
“At the end of the day, he does a great job navigate what is obviously a difficult circumstance…Despite the fact that your body is going through hell when you are in this situation, it is still conditioning itself. He still finds time to train, which isn’t easy to do when you’re going through that. Either way, what it does to your body is hard. Pushing yourself as a professional athlete is even harder.
Having proven his mental and physical strength, Topic has already earned the respect of the Thunder organization for his intangibles. All that remains is for him to continue on his current path, recovering regularly. If so, he could receive minutes from Oklahoma City This season.
With this in mind, just before the new year, Topic’s agent, Misko Raznatovic, revealed to TV Arena Sports that Topic had completed chemotherapy and was looking to get back on the pitch (with Sportal’s Andriana Rankovic):
“The chemotherapy has been successfully completed and he is now returning to the training process, although he has also been active during the therapy. It is difficult to determine a precise timetable, but I sincerely hope that he will get minutes this year, not only in the G League but also in the NBA, if everything goes as it is now.”
*Note: Misko Raznatovic’s quote was translated from Serbian using Google Translate.
© Arthur Ellis-Imagn Images
