Battling cancer and injury, Nikola Topić showcases his resilience and playmaking talent in a remarkable G League debut for the OKC Blue.
The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Lakers in a competitive nationally televised game on Peacock in Jalen Williams' long anticipated return to the OKC lineup on Monday night.
And somehow that's not even the biggest Thunder news of the night.
That's because Nikola Topić made his professional basketball debut for the OKC Blue on Monday night.
The 2024 #12 overall pick missed his entire first season due to an ACL tear. He famously became the first player in NBA history to win a championship before playing a single NBA minute. Thunder fans finally got a little peek into Topić's game during the 2025 Summer League and one game of the preseason. Then came some heartbreaking news.
The 20 year old was diagnosed with testicular cancer. All of a sudden, Topić's much awaited NBA debut became an afterthought. First and foremost, his health and well being became the one and only priority.
For the last several months, Topić has undergone a surgical procedure and three rounds of chemotherapy. Over the past several weeks, the prodigious playmaker has been working out with the team. A return to play seemed close. Then came the news that he was assigned to the OKC Blue, the Thunder's G League affiliate. And finally the moment Thunder fans had been waiting for: Topić was going to suit up for the OKC Blue vs Sioux Falls Skyforce game.
"Great accomplishment. Just can't say enough about him as a guy. His mental toughness, maturity, resilience," Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said prior to the Lakers tipoff. "And to think of where he's been. He sat out with an ACL last year. He hasn't played a lot of basketball in the last two years. And he comes off a one year rehab and immediately has a very surprising diagnosis and goes through chemotherapy, three rounds of it. So for him to work himself back to the court is just an unbelievable accomplishment. We're incredibly happy for him. His teammates have been very supportive during this process. We're all just collectively thrilled that he's back playing basketball. I know he's missed it a great deal. This is just so good for him mentally to get his feet back underneath him."
To be clear, just the fact that Topić played a pro game after coming back from an ACL tear and battling testicular cancer is a massive achievement. He could have gone for goose eggs in the stat sheet across the board and should still be praised for his resiliency, strength and perseverance.
No need for caveats, though. Topić played some great ball.
The Serbian point guard scored 7 points on 3-5 shooting including 1-1 from 3. Passing is his calling card, though. And his playmaking popped immediately. Topić dished out 7 assists to only 1 turnover. All in only 16 minutes of playing time.
Nobody knows what the future holds in the NBA for Nikola Topić. Despite missing the first year and a half of his NBA career, he is still incredibly young and is brimming with talent. This much is for sure: he is a fighter.
Topić's OKC Blue debut was a good reminder of what he's overcome over the past two years to return to the court. But also of how skilled he is on it.