OKLAHOMA CITY –

Oklahoma City’s first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft is available Thursday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Nikola Topić, the 12th overall pick by the Thunder, was not listed on the NBA’s official injury report for the first time this season. That indicates he is available for Oklahoma City’s final game before the NBA All-Star break.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault praised Nikola Topić’s resilience leading up to his return to uniform.

“He’s done an incredible job in the face of a lot of different obstacles and adversities for a young person. He’s shown tremendous resilience, optimism, professionalism, consistency and steadiness. He did an ACL and then had another more significant setback, so I’m incredibly happy for him to be able to dress tonight. The Blue games were short minutes… it’s his first live action in a long, long time. The purpose of getting him dressed tonight was just to get him used to a game day in uniform for the first time. It’s a huge accomplishment for him to get to this point.”

Oklahoma City guard begins treatment after procedure; team calls him “extraordinarily mature, composed, and resilient.”

October 30, 2025 01:14 PM

2 min read

What we know

Topić missed his rookie season with a torn ACL and was later diagnosed with testicular cancer before the start of the 2025-26 season.

He recently returned to action with the OKC Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate, scoring 22 points in a game earlier this week.

If the 20-year-old guard takes the court Thursday, it would mark his first NBA appearance.

He could face former Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng, who was traded earlier this season.

The 2024 first-round pick played 16 minutes against Sioux Falls in his first game since completing chemotherapy, marking a major step forward after battling cancer and a previous ACL injury.

February 9, 2026 10:06 PM

1 min read

Thunder injuries

Oklahoma City will be without several key players against Milwaukee.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams are both out. Williams re-injured his right hamstring in Wednesday’s win over the Phoenix Suns.

Isaiah Hartenstein, Ajay Mitchell and Branden Carlson are also listed as unavailable.

Mitchell was selected in the same 2024 draft class as Topić but as a second-round pick. He has since become a regular part of the Thunder’s rotation.

With Topić now available, Oklahoma City adds another young guard option as it adjusts its lineup ahead of the All-Star break.