OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Nikola Topic addressed the NBA media for the first time since his cancer diagnosis. Topic made his NBA debut last week before the All-Star break in a 105-86 win against the Milwaukee Bucks. It was an emotional moment for Nicola, who received a standing ovation at the Paycom Centre.
After helping lead the Thunder to a 105-86 win against the Brooklyn Nets, the subject, playing in my first two NBA Games talked about what it was like during his first postgame media availability on Friday.
Topic said, “Amazing moment. I’ll remember this for the rest of my life – thanks to the fans.” “Definitely, I will remember it for the rest of my life.”
Nikola Topic got a standing ovation as he checked in to his first career NBA game.
He also gets an assist with a nice pass to Jaylin Williams for an easy bucket. Topic made a great start pic.twitter.com/oJqrXDkPKT
-Joshua Peacock (@Joe_Sway) 13 February 2026
Topic admits that it felt strange to return to the game after being away from the game for so long. However, he managed to put his emotions aside shortly after attending the first NBA game of his career.
Topic continued, “It was weird at first. I’m just getting back to the game experience again.” “I was out for a while. It was very weird coming back. I was finding myself doing things I had never done before. It was pretty hard to adjust to, but every game was better. The first game in the G League. The second game was better. The first game here was OK. The second was better. But I think it will only get better.”
Nikola Topic thanks Thunder fans for standing ovation in NBA debut:
“I will remember this for the rest of my life” pic.twitter.com/N8xqQELZoc
-Joshua Peacock (@Joe_Sway) 21 February 2026
Topic finished with nine points on 4-for-6 shooting, including 1-2 from deep, three rebounds and two assists in 11 minutes. He helped put the Nets away throughout the second half, especially early in the fourth quarter when Topic scored five points and an assist in less than two minutes, giving Oklahoma City a 16-point advantage.
Chet Holmgren keeps it 100 about Thunder’s Nikola theme
All-Star Chet Holmgren reacts to Nikola Topic’s Thunder debut, praising the newcomer’s courage. While Holmgren missed his entire rookie season due to injury, similar to Topic’s ACL repair that sidelined him for the entire 2024-25 campaign, Chet couldn’t start since October due to Nikola’s testicular cancer diagnosis.
Holmgren shares heartfelt comment on Topic’s return to basketball.
“Anyone battling cancer is fighting for their life. I’ve never been able to understand what it’s like. It just speaks to the power of [Topić]And who he is as a person,” Holmgren said. “It would have been very appropriate for him to be down and angry at everyone around him, and be angry at the world because the child he is doesn’t deserve this. We’re all very happy that he was able to fight through it, get back to hooping.
“You see the huge smile on his face when he’s able to put his shoes on and get out there. I thought he played a really good game tonight. He could have made 100 shots or missed 100 shots tonight; it was an amazing game for him. To be able to get out there, get some reps under his belt, and now, he can learn from them, we can learn from him too.”
Topic will play the third game of his NBA career when the Thunder host the Cavs on Sunday at Paycom Center.
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