Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topic, who was a part of OKC’s NBA Championship team last season, has been diagnosed with cancer.
Thunder General Manager Sam Presti revealed on Thursday that Topic has been diagnosed with testicular cancer. He is only 20 years old.
“So, I want to give a health update on Nikola Topic. I think, as everybody’s aware, he had a testicular procedure at the very beginning of training camp,“ Sam Presti said. “That procedure was necessary and done at MD Anderson in Houston 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 been returned, and he is dealing with a case of testicular cancer.”
According to Presti, doctors are optimistic that Topic can beat the cancer. He has been undergoing chemotherapy.
“He has a tremendous group of oncologists, both at OU and MD Anderson, and they are extremely positive about his outlook,” Presti said. “It’s important to note that testicular cancer is the most cured form of cancer among males. But the treatment option, for him right now… is chemotherapy.”
Nikola Topic is in his second season in the NBA after being drafted No. 12 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. He missed all of last season with a torn ACL.
According to Presti, Oklahoma City’s only focus right now is Topic’s health.
“Top didn’t want to make this information public until he had done the actual treatments, which he has. He’s been in here; he’s training, he’s working out,” Presti said. “But as we all know, this will be a challenging treatment process to go through.
“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, but we’re not putting any type of expectation on that, obviously.”
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.