Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topic has had surgery on his lower back and is anticipated to be healthy and ready when training camp opens for the 2026-27 NBA season.
The team announced Topic underwent a minimally invasive lumbar microdiscectomy, a procedure that, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, corrects a bulging disk in the lower back. Dr. Andrew Dossett carried out the operation at the Carrell Clinic in Dallas, with Thunder medical staff present throughout.
Topic was selected by Oklahoma City with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-6 point guard came to the league from Serbia, but his early professional career has been marked by significant health challenges.
He was unable to play his entire rookie season after suffering a knee injury before the draft. Then, heading into the 2025-26 season, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and had to undergo treatment before returning to the court.
The 20-year-old eventually appeared in 10 games for the Thunder last season, putting up averages of 5.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in 16.0 minutes per outing. In his limited playing time, he connected on 40.0 percent of his three-point attempts, going 9-for-15 from beyond the arc.
Topic is not expected to participate in the NBA summer league in July as he recovers from the procedure.
