Nikola Topic has faced a lot of adversity, including a battle with cancer, since entering the NBA as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
That makes the young guard particularly easy to root for. OKC fans, and really fans of the sport in general, want to see Topic do well.
That hasn’t been possible yet in the early stages of the 2026-27 season. Topic isn’t playing.
He missed out when the Thunder won on Tuesday night over the San Antonio Spurs, and he’ll be sitting out again on Thursday against the Denver Nuggets.
It’s far from an ideal situation, in part because Topic has already missed so much opportunity to develop his game while actually getting into NBA games.
But it’s what he’s dealing with for the moment, and the Thunder will be hoping he’s back soon.
Why Isn’t Nikola Topic Playing Tonight?
Nikola Topic is out on Thursday night for the Thunder against the Nuggets due to a back injury.
He wasn’t listed as anything other than out on the injury report, so it wasn’t in any suspense.
When is Nikola Topic Coming Back?
The Thunder haven’t specified a return date yet for Topic.
He didn’t play a single game in the preseason. He was ruled out before the first one back on Oct. 6 with the same back issue, and that’s been the same verdict for each preseason and regular season game since then.
There had been reports before that of Topic being limited during training camp, so it seems that whatever has been nagging him dates back a while now.
The Thunder have a deep roster, but it’s a missed chance for Topic to stake his claim to some playing time and to potentially grow his skill on the court.
Nikola Topic Cancer History
Topic first had a procedure done in October 2025 in which a biopsy confirmed that he had testicular cancer.
He announced the diagnosis once he had begun chemotherapy.
Topic had already been away from the game due to an ACL injury, so he was on his way to a comeback before the cancer diagnosis, and then he had to battle that, too.
Topic first came back to action in the G League on Feb. 9, 2026, when he scored seven points and totaled seven assists for the Oklahoma City Blue.
He then made his NBA debut on Feb. 12, 2026, getting on the board with a jumper in the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault summed up that night for Topic like this, via ESPN:
“He’s obviously been through a ton of adversity in his life in the last couple years. He’s a young guy that all he wants to do is play basketball and that’s been taken from him a couple of different times, and so for him to work himself to this point, get himself on the floor is a great accomplishment.”
Why Isn’t Nikola Topic Playing Tonight? When Thunder’s Young Guard Might Return