Nikola Jokic is set to meet with an Oklahoma City Thunder player after the Denver Nuggets face them in their 2026-2027 NBA regular season opener.
According to Jokic, hours before the game, he said he would be hanging out with his fellow Serbian Nikola Topic after their game on Thursday night.
Nikola Jokic Will Meet Nikola Topic After Nuggets-Thunder Game
The 21-year-old Topic underwent a minimally invasive lumbar microdiscectomy procedure in June 2026 to correct a bulging disk in his lower back, so he will not play for the Thunder in their second game of the season against the Nuggets.
Jokic revealed his plans when asked by a reporter about being nervous for the team’s regular-season opener.
“To be honest, I’m going to see my friend Nikola Topic in Oklahoma,” Jokic said. “So, we’re going to have dinner. We’re going to probably watch some games, have some fun.
“I’m not going to feel nervous. but I think I always feel nervous before the game. I think that’s normal. And it should be like that. I think that that’s why I’m playing this sport because of that.”
Despite having no familial ties, they represent the rich continuity of Serbian hoops with Jokic as the three-time NBA MVP and established icon from Sombor, and Topić as the highly touted point guard from Novi Sad.
Having shared the floor for the Serbian national team, Jokic has taken on a mentorship role within the league’s close-knit Serbian brotherhood, notably praising Topic as the definitive “future of Serbian basketball”.
Jokic famously enforced traditional national team values of accountability and collective camaraderie by making sure the young guard high-fived everyone on the bench after being subbed out.
Topic has faced severe medical and physical challenges early in his NBA career with the Thunder, including a partially torn ACL, a testicular cancer diagnosis, and a lower-back microdiscectomy.
The Thunder are coming off a statement win against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night to open their regular season campaign.
How To Watch Denver Nuggets Season Opener Vs OKC Thunder?
You can watch the Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game on NBA League Pass, or via national and regional TV broadcasts such as ESPN, KSBI (Oklahoma home market), and Altitude Sports (Denver away market), as well as live-streaming services like Fubo.
It is also available on the NBA League Pass.
The game is on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The game will tip off at 9:30 PM ET / 8:30 PM CT / 6:30 PM PT.
For their season opener against the Thunder, the Nuggets listed forward Spencer Jones as questionable due to bilateral hamstring injury management, while guard Julian Strawther is ruled out with a left knee sprain.
Thomas Sorber remains out after right knee surgery for the Thunder and Otega Oweh is out for the season due to a torn Achilles tendon.
The Nuggets will play their first game since being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Thunder and the Nuggets faced off in the second round of the playoffs in 2025, in which the Thunder won in seven games.
Nikola Jokic Set To Hang Out With OKC Thunder Player After Season Opener