Nikola Topic Makes Long-Awaited NBA Debut for OKC Thunder

After a year and a half of waiting to make an NBA debut, what’s a few more seconds?

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topic sidled his way to the scorer’s table amid a Thursday-night bout with the Bucks, and fans arena-wide began shuffling excitedly. All it would take is one stoppage for him to finally step foot on the NBA floor.

Then, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault called a timeout, delaying the sports moment of the year a few more seconds. Topic would head back to the OKC bench for a final time with the crowd quieted.

For years, Topic’s NBA journey was defined by silent work, outside of the spotlight.

His first season with the Thunder organization was underscored by rehabbing a major knee injury suffered prior to his drafting.

Topic’s practice days looked different from his counterpart’s, doing general strength training or simply working on his shot. He watched on from the bench as his Thunder teammates put together the best season in franchise history, bringing home the then-elusive Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Nikola Topic using some resistance cords at today’s practice pic.twitter.com/nca00raCnX
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) December 22, 2024

After almost a full calendar year of behind-the-scenes work, Topic finally carved his way back to the hardwood, appearing in 2025 Summer League and one preseason game for Oklahoma City. He averaged an event-high in assists per game in Las Vegas, and posted a fine line against Charlotte in the preseason opener.

His journey would then hit another roadblock.

In October of 2025, Topic would be diagnosed with testicular cancer, traversing a path few others in NBA history had in starting chemotherapy soon after.

There were few updates in the midst of this process, as Topic worked with oncologists at both the University of Oklahoma and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Though his silent work persisted through videos of empty gyms and jump-shots.

Nikola Topic out here in pregame warmups. First time I’ve seen him since his testicular cancer diagnosis. Good to see him pic.twitter.com/rmSxun3abV
— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) December 18, 2025

Per an early-January update from Topic's agent Misko Raznatovic, Topic successfully completed chemotherapy, and would return to the training process.

After what felt a long timeout by NBA standards, the Paycom Center crowd’s deafening ovation would finally signal the official start of Nikola Topic’s NBA career.

Nikola Topic makes his NBA debut: pic.twitter.com/geJSKL6NZC
— Derek Parker (@DParkOK) February 13, 2026

“Loud City”, as the Oklahoma City crowd has been deemed, has amassed quite the reputation with its dedicated fans and smaller-than-normal arena, making for one of the loudest venues in the sport.

Thursday’s ovation held even more weight behind the cheers.

The crowd would continue to applaud even as Topic walked up the floor with the basketball in-hand, seconds later delivering a crisp pass to Jaylin Williams that would become the first of many career assists.

“Just thrilled for him, he’s obviously been through a ton of adversity in his life in the last couples years,” Daigneault said following the game. “He’s a young guy that all he wants to do is play basketball, and it’s been taken from him a couple different times. For him to work himself to this point and get himself on the floor is a great accomplishment.”

Topic’s emotion-laden debut overshadowed the fact he’s a legitimate talent. Prior to his pre-draft knee injury, he was thought of to be one of the top talents in the 2024 draft cycle, offering class-best passing and feel for the game.

He earned the first points of his career in the pick-and-roll alongside newly-named All-Star Chet Holmgren, smoothly pulling up in the mid-range. He would exit his first-ever stint with two points, one assist and one rebound.

“This was just a unique pocket to get him in with our team, with very little expectations from a performance standpoint,” Daigneault said. “What chemotherapy does to your body is really remarkable, it’s crazy what is does to you physically. And so, the road back from that is different for everyone, and it’s highly challenging.

“If his peak athleticism is a 10 out of 10, he’s not even close to that right now — it would be unfair to evaluate him in this context, we’re just happy he got out there tonight, and is on that track back.”

Even as former Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng rained down triples en route to a Bucks’ win, the energy wouldn’t be curbed. Topic’s NBA debut signaled a victory not just for a 20-year-old who battled time and again to make his dream a reality, but for others looking to do the same. His pick-and-roll partner in Holmgren echoed that sentiment.

"He could have made a 100 shots or missed 100 shots, it's an amazing game for him."