Jan. 30, 2026, 6:00 p.m. CT
While the Oklahoma City Thunder continue to navigate their NBA championship defense, Nikola Topic has quietly worked in the background of things. The 20-year-old has yet to suit up nearly two years since he joined the league.
The Thunder drafted Topic with the No. 12 pick of the 2024 NBA draft. He missed the entire 2024-25 season recovering from a torn ACL. After he played in the 2025 Summer League and this past preseason opener, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in Oct. 2025.
Just devastating news that forced Topic to put basketball on the back burner as he underwent chemotherapy. Three months later, Topic is back to regularly participating in pregame warmups and OKC practices. His agent, Misko Raznatovic, revealed this past month that his client has completed chemotherapy.
“The chemotherapy was successfully completed, and he is now returning to the training process, although he was active during the therapy as well,” Raznatovic said. “It’s hard to pinpoint a timeline, but I sincerely hope he gets minutes this year, not only in the G League but on the NBA floor as well, if everything goes the way it is right now.”
It’s an interesting reveal that paints a clearer picture of how things have been for Topic. First of all, awesome to hear him finish his chemotherapy. When Sam Presti announced the diagnosis, he made sure to emphasize how confident they were that he was going to beat them and how testicular cancer is one of the more curable forms among males.
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If Raznatovic believes Topic will play this season, it’s interesting he brought up the G League. The Thunder have utilized their G League affiliate the best compared to most teams in the league. The OKC Blue share Paycom Center with the Thunder, which makes assignments and recalls a seamless transition.
Considering how stacked the Thunder are, it’s difficult to carve out a potential role for him. At this point in the season, most of the rotation has been figured out. Only two months remain until the NBA playoffs start. Which explains why the G League might be the better starting point for Topic.
When asked about Topic’s chances of playing in the G League, Blue head coach Daniel Dixon kept any information close to the vest. The Blue’s regular-season finale is on Mar. 28, which gives you a rough timetable of when he could possibly be assigned.
“I haven’t seen that stuff,” Dixon said. “I’m sure he has a plan with the Thunder that’s being communicated.”
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see on if Topic suits up this season. If he can’t, his first two seasons will be spent on the sidelines. It’s been an unlucky start to his NBA aspirations. The Thunder added the lottery talent with the hopes that he can be a playmaker.