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It’s been a long road to recovery for Oklahoma City Thunder’s Nikola Topic.
The Serbian guard made his NBA debut Thursday night, coming off the bench to a standing ovation to play against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Topic returns to the court after recovering from a major knee injury and treatment for testicular cancer.
Rarely played basketball since 2024 draft
Topic hasn’t seen much on-court action since being picked 12th by the Thunder in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-6, 200-pound guard missed his first full NBA season with Oklahoma City since the draft, thanks to a torn ACL.
Topic returned to action last summer to play in the Summer League and some pre-season games. However, he was sidelined again in October after he announced he would undergo chemotherapy for testicular cancer.
“Thank you for all your support, I’ll be back even stronger,” Topic wrote on Instagram at the time.
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The amazing story of Nikola Topić.
He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in October last year.
Now, four months later, he receives a standing ovation as he makes his NBA debut. pic.twitter.com/qmM1KRv9GK
— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) February 13, 2026
Standing ovation
Nearly two years since the draft, Topic debuted in front of a home crowd at Paycom Center with 1:55 left in the first quarter. He went 1-for-3 from the field, scoring his first official points in the NBA, in 12 minutes.
Topic also had a rebound and an assist in the Thunder’s 110-93 loss to Milwaukee.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault told the media earlier this week that he’s “thrilled” to have Topic back “playing basketball.”
“I know he’s missed it a great deal, and this is just so good for him mentally to get his feet back underneath him,” said Daigneault, per Sportsnet.
“Just can’t say enough about him as a guy, his mental toughness, maturity, resilience. … He hasn’t played a lot of basketball over the last two years, and he comes off a one-year rehab and immediately has a surprising diagnosis and goes through chemotherapy, three rounds of it.
“So for him to work himself back onto the court is just an unbelievable accomplishment, and we’re incredibly happy for him,” said the coach.
— With files from The Associated Press.
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