Nikola Topić continues to work on his game as he battles testicular cancer.
The second-year Thunder guard began participating in warmups before OKC’s home win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Dec. 18. It’s an encouraging sign for Topić, who started chemotherapy in late October.
“I’m not going to give details on what’s a private matter,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said of Topić on Saturday. “But at the end of the day, he’s doing a great job navigating what is obviously a tough circumstance. … Your body goes through hell when you’re in that situation, and he’s still conditioning himself. He’s still finding the time to work out, which is not easy to do when you’re going through that.
“What it puts your body through anyways is hard. To push yourself as a professional athlete is even harder.”
Topić has shown incredible mental toughness ever since OKC selected him with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-6 guard missed all of last season while recovering from a partially-torn ACL in his left knee that required surgery. He then briefly returned to play in six NBA Summer League games, where he averaged 10.8 points and 5.8 assists.
Topić then played in one preseason game, a 135-114 win over Charlotte on Oct. 5, before he was diagnosed.
“He’s handling this the same way he’s always handled everything we’ve ever seen,” Daigneault said, “which is with unbelievable professionalism, maturity and mental toughness. All the things that he has exhibited to this point are being tested, and he’s passing the test.”
Topić’s resiliency hasn’t just been noticed by Daigneault. It has been recognized by his teammates, who’ve welcomed the 20-year-old guard in the gym with open arms.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Topić,” Thunder forward Jalen Williams said on Dec. 13. “He doesn’t come in like, ‘It sucks.’ He’s still up. He’s going in, working out and shooting and trying to get better, which is insane to me. To be that young and have that level of maturity and confidence, the least we can do as a team is give him somewhere that’s really comfortable when he comes in to work out.
“He’s been really strong about the situation. He doesn’t feel sorry for himself.”
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.