Nikola Topić, a reserve guard for the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, has been diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Topić’s diagnosis was announced by Thunder general manager Sam Presti on Thursday. Presti said the 20-year-old Topić was recently diagnosed after he underwent a procedure at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston earlier this month.
“The procedure was necessary to do a biopsy, and the results of the biopsy have been returned and he is dealing with a case of testicular cancer,” Presti told reporters.
Presti said that doctors for Topić are “extremely positive about his outlook in dealing with this situation.” He will undergo chemotherapy treatment, as suggested by his oncologist, according to Presti.
Testicular cancer is the most common cancer among males aged 15 to 35, affecting about one in every 250 people, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Furthermore, “the prognosis for testicular cancer is excellent,” with more than 95% of cases being treated successfully, per the Clinic.
Presti said Topić has been able to train and work out with his Thunder teammates since his procedure. However, there is no clear timeline for Topić’s return, he added.
“Our only expectations of him are to focus on this,” Presti said. “This is his most important priority. He’ll be back playing basketball when he’s able to, but we’re not putting any type of expectations on that obviously. He has our total support, encouragement [and] love.”
Topić, a native of Novi Sad, Serbia, is in his second season with the Thunder after being drafted in the first round, 12th overall, of the 2024 NBA Draft. He missed the entire 2024-25 NBA season due to a torn ACL injury, but was still part of the Thunder team that won the 2025 NBA Finals over the Indiana Pacers in seven games.
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