Nikola Topic received a massive ovation from the crowd during the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 110-93 home loss against the Milwaukee Bucks for finally making his NBA debut after undergoing treatment for testicular cancer.
In his 12 minutes of action, the former 12th overall pick recorded two points, one rebound, one assist, and three turnovers on 1-for-3 shooting from the field. After the game, Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault gave Topic his flowers during the press conference.
“Just thrilled for him. 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,” Daigneault said of Topic.
“Certainly a really good feel-good night for his family, for him and for our team despite the fact that we didn’t play our best game,” he continued. “This was just like a unique pocket to get him in with our team with very little expectations from a performance standpoint. We’re just happy he got out there tonight and is on that track back. That’s the most important thing.”
Oklahoma City Thunder News: Chet Holmgren draws inspiration from Nikola Topic’s NBA debut
The Oklahoma City Thunder were shorthanded against the Milwaukee Bucks, as they were without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdomen), Jalen Williams (hamstring), Isaiah Hartenstein (rest), and Ajay Mitchell (abdomen). This meant that Chet Holmgren, inspired by Nikola Topic’s debut, had to shoulder more workload, and he finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks on 5-for-12 shooting from the field in 27 minutes of action.
“Anybody who’s battling cancer is fighting for their life, and I could never begin to understand what that’s like. It just speaks to the strength of Top and who he is as a person,” Holmgren said of Topic via sideline reporter Nick Gallo.
“We’re all just so happy that he was able to battle through that, get back to playing. You see a lot bigger smile on his face when he’s able to be out there with his shoes on,” he added.
