Oklahoma City Thunder rookie guard Nikola Topic is available to make his NBA debut Thursday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, marking a significant milestone months after being diagnosed with testicular cancer.
The Thunder (42-13) host the Bucks (22-30) at 7:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video, and Topic was not listed on the team’s latest injury report.
The 20-year-old guard recently returned to game action in the G League and showed encouraging signs in limited minutes. In his second contest with the Oklahoma City Blue on Wednesday, Topic scored 22 points while adding four assists, two rebounds, two steals and one block. He shot 7-for-12 from the field and 4-for-7 from three-point range in 20 minutes, helping lead the Blue to a 127-118 victory over the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Topic made his G League debut Monday and averaged 14.5 points, 5.5 assists, 1.5 rebounds and one steal across two appearances. He shot 58.8% from the field and 55.6% from beyond the arc while playing 18 minutes per game.
His return to competition comes nearly four months after receiving a testicular cancer diagnosis. Topic had already been working his way back from an ACL injury that sidelined him last season before undergoing three rounds of chemotherapy.
🚨 Nikola Topic is AVAILABLE tonight and in line to make his NBA debut vs. the Bucks, 4 months after being diagnosed with testicular cancer 🙏 pic.twitter.com/H0xIjVuP9r
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 12, 2026
Nikola Topic set for potential NBA debut after cancer diagnosis
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault praised Topic’s perseverance earlier this week before Oklahoma City’s 119-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Great accomplishment,” Daigneault said. “Can't say enough about him as a guy. His mental toughness, maturity, resilience. And to think of where he's been — he sat out with an ACL last year — 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 very surprising diagnosis, and goes through chemotherapy — three rounds of it.
“So, for him to work himself back to the court is just an unbelievable accomplishment, like I said. And we're just incredibly happy for him. His teammates have been very supportive during this process.”
Daigneault added that the focus remains on Topic’s well-being rather than immediate production.
“We're all just collectively thrilled that he's back playing basketball. I know he's missed it a great deal,” Daigneault said. “And this is just so good for him, mentally. We're not evaluating the performance right now. It's just a great accomplishment that he's out there right now.”
If he appears Thursday, Topic’s debut would mark a remarkable milestone for one of Oklahoma City’s youngest prospects as the Thunder look to close out the first half of their season before All-Star Weekend begins Friday at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.
