Nikola Topić surveyed his surroundings as he returned to OKC’s bench.
The first person he saw was a fired-up Chet Holmgren, who walked up to him and pounded his chest. Behind him were the rest of OKC’s players, who excitedly held their right hands up in the air. And behind them were thousands of Thunder fans, who gave a standing ovation.
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It was a well-deserved reception for Topić after he sank a layup during the fourth quarter of OKC’s 105-86 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. That capped off a five-point scoring burst by him in about three minutes.
And yet the only nonchalant person inside Paycom Center seemed to be Topić himself. He acted as if he’d been there before, even though he hadn’t. This was only the second career NBA game for the 20-year-old guard, who overcame a partially torn ACL in his left knee last season and testicular cancer earlier this season.
“No,” Topić quickly said with a laugh when asked if he felt as confident as he looked. “No, I was nervous. That’s the one thing I’m good at, hiding emotions and stuff like that. I was pretty nervous, but I looked confident.”
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OKC Thunder vs Brooklyn at Paycom Center, see our top photos
Oklahoma City center Chet Holmgren (7) goes to the basket as Brooklyn guard Egor Demin (8) and Brooklyn forward Noah Clowney (21) defend during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday Feb. 20, 2026.
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OKC Thunder vs Brooklyn at Paycom Center, see our top photos
Oklahoma City center Chet Holmgren (7) goes to the basket as Brooklyn guard Egor Demin (8) and Brooklyn forward Noah Clowney (21) defend during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday Feb. 20, 2026.
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OKC Thunder vs Brooklyn at Paycom Center, see our top photos
Oklahoma City guard Aaron Wiggins (21) tries to get by Brooklyn forward Noah Clowney (21) during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday Feb. 20, 2026.
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OKC Thunder vs Brooklyn at Paycom Center, see our top photos
Oklahoma City center Chet Holmgren (7) tries to get by Brooklyn guard Nolan Traore (88) during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday Feb. 20, 2026.
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OKC Thunder vs Brooklyn at Paycom Center, see our top photos
Oklahoma City guard Cason Wallace (22) drives to the basket as Brooklyn guard Nolan Traore (88) defends during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday Feb. 20, 2026.
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OKC Thunder vs Brooklyn at Paycom Center, see our top photos
Oklahoma City guard Cason Wallace (22) drives to the basket as Brooklyn guard Nolan Traore (88) defends during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday Feb. 20, 2026.
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OKC Thunder vs Brooklyn at Paycom Center, see our top photos
Oklahoma City center Chet Holmgren (7) dunks the ball during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday Feb. 20, 2026.
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OKC Thunder vs Brooklyn at Paycom Center, see our top photos
Oklahoma City guard Kenrich Williams (34) tries to get around Brooklyn guard Drake Powell (4) during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday Feb. 20, 2026.
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OKC Thunder vs Brooklyn at Paycom Center, see our top photos
Oklahoma City guard Nikola Topic (44) drives to the basket as Brooklyn forward Jalen Wilson (22) defends during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday Feb. 20, 2026.
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OKC Thunder vs Brooklyn at Paycom Center, see our top photos
during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday Feb. 20, 2026.
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OKC Thunder vs Brooklyn at Paycom Center, see our top photos
Oklahoma City center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) defends against Brooklyn guard Nolan Traore (88) during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday Feb. 20, 2026.
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OKC Thunder vs Brooklyn at Paycom Center, see our top photos
Oklahoma City guard Aaron Wiggins (21) and Brooklyn guard Egor Demin (8) fight for a loose ball during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday Feb. 20, 2026.
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OKC Thunder vs Brooklyn at Paycom Center, see our top photos
Oklahoma City center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) blocks the shot of Brooklyn center Day’ron Sharpe (20) during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday Feb. 20, 2026.
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OKC Thunder vs Brooklyn at Paycom Center, see our top photos
Oklahoma City guard Cason Wallace (22) defends against Brooklyn guard Nolan Traore (88) during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday Feb. 20, 2026.
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OKC Thunder vs Brooklyn at Paycom Center, see our top photos
Brooklyn guard Ochai Agbaji goes to the basket as Oklahoma City guard Kenrich Williams (34) and Isaiah Hartenstein (55) defend during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday Feb. 20, 2026.
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OKC Thunder vs Brooklyn at Paycom Center, see our top photos
Oklahoma City guard Alex Caruso (9) fouls Brooklyn forward Noah Clowney (21) during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday Feb. 20, 2026.
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OKC Thunder vs Brooklyn at Paycom Center, see our top photos
Oklahoma City guard Alex Caruso (9) argues after a play during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday Feb. 20, 2026.
Topić has had time to practice his poker face. He first broke it out during his debut game against Milwaukee on Feb. 12.
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Everyone applauded him when he first checked into the game with 1:55 left in the opening quarter. That even included Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Topić calmly tapped his heart before raising his hand to say thanks for the warm welcome. He then recorded his first assist 17 seconds later by finding Jaylin Williams for a floater. It’s a play he made look routine despite being the furthest thing from it.
“That was an awesome moment,” Topić said. “I’ll remember that for the rest of my life. Thanks to the fans. For sure, I’ll remember that for the rest of my life.”
Topić chipped in two points, one assist and one rebound on 1-for-3 shooting from the field (0 for 2 from deep) throughout 12 minutes against Milwaukee. And he looked even more composed against Brooklyn, even in high-pressure situations.
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The Nets trimmed the deficit to 10 points entering the fourth quarter, and head coach Mark Daigneault called Topić’s number. It only took one minute for him to confidently release a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer that hit its mark.
OKC then had a broken offensive play with 9:41 left in the game. But Topić mended the mistake by applying rim pressure before finding Isaiah Hartenstein, who sank a 13-foot floater.
From getting downhill to expanding his range to swinging the ball around to crashing the glass, Topić showed the potential that made OKC select him with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He finished with an impressive stat line of nine points, three rebounds and two assists on 4-for-6 shooting from the field (1 for 2 from deep) in just 11 minutes off the bench.
“He was great,” Daigneault said. “He played really well. Obviously, that’s his second NBA game, so to really evaluate him in a context would be unfair. But he’s obviously a really good player. He’s got a really good sense for the game. He goes in there and he acts like he belongs.”
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Oklahoma City guard Nikola Topic (44) celebrates with Chet Holmgren (7) during the NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Friday Feb. 20, 2026.
Blending in is the ultimate compliment for Topić, whose journey to playing in the NBA is unlike everyone else.
He’s the only player in league history who won a championship before making his debut. He’s the only one who recovered from a torn ACL only to then be diagnosed with cancer. He’s the only one who had to split time between working on his game and going to multiple chemotherapy treatments.
Topić is also the only one who truly knows all of the struggles that came from that process. And while he’s good at hiding those emotions, he’s quick to express the appreciation he has for a support system that played a huge role in his return to the floor.
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He can confidently say that.
“It was huge,” Topić said. “I’ve got to thank the Thunder organization as a whole. From the players to the coaching staff to the medical staff to the front office, they were so supportive of everything and the whole process. And of course the fans too. I owe them a thank you for life, basically. I’ll remember that for the rest of my life, and I’ll try to say thank you on the court.”
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.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Nikola Topić has ‘looked confident’ in return from testicular cancer