The Oklahoma City Thunder drafted Nikola Topic with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Unfortunately, he did not play for them at all last season while recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered before the season began.
This season, the Thunder were fully expecting to have Topic available and part of their rotation. He has yet to appear in a game this season, and it looks like it will be a while before he does. Sam Presti announced in front of reporters that Topic is being treated for cancer.
Presti announced that Topic is being treated for testicular cancer.
“I think everyone’s aware he had a testicular procedure at the beginning of training camp. That procedure was necessary and done to determine if Nikola was dealing with a case of testicular cancer. The procedure was necessary in order to biopsy. And the results of the biopsy have returned, and he is dealing with a case of testicular cancer.”
Oklahoma City Thunder Announce Nikola Topic is Dealing With Testicular Cancer
While this is certainly a serious medical issue, Presti did mention that his doctors have a positive outlook on his prognosis.
“They are extremely positive about his outlook in dealing with this situation. It’s important to note that testicular cancer is the most cured form of cancer among males. The treatment option recommended to him by oncologists right now is chemotherapy.”
Topic was expected to be a key player off the bench and was one of the reasons Oklahoma City felt comfortable trading Josh Giddey to the Bulls. A draft profile from Rotowire gave insight into what fans could expect from him on the court.
“At 6-foot-6, Topic is a big guard who can get where he wants and makes the right play more often than not. He has excellent pace when driving to the basket, can finish with both hands and is a great distributor who looks like a veteran with the ball in his hands.”
Thunder Reveal Nikola Topic Timeline to Return
Presti didn’t have a firm timeline on the expectations for him to return to play.
“As far as our expectations for him or anything like that, our only expectations for him are to focus on this. This is his most important priority. He’ll be back playing basketball when he’s able to.”
With Topic’s availability for this season in doubt, the Thunder will keep turning to Ajay Mitchell off the bench. Mitchell has been superb so far, taking a massive leap from a year ago. The Thunder are the deepest team in the league, so they are well-positioned to deal with something like this.
The Thunder have the best record in the NBA, sitting at 5-0. This is despite the fact that they were taken to double overtime in two of their first three games of the season. Topic certainly doesn’t need to rush back to help the Thunder win games. Right now, the team is winning games at an incredible clip, and likely are winning them with him in mind.
Presti requested privacy in this matter, as well.
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