By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topic is recovering from a successful lower spine operation following a series of severe medical challenges.
On Saturday, team officials confirmed the 20-old Serbian playmaker had a lumbar microdiscectomy in Dallas.
Per the press release: “Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topić underwent a successful minimally invasive lumbar microdiscectomy procedure, the team announced today.
The procedure was performed by Dr. Andrew Dossett at the Carrell Clinic in Dallas, Texas with Thunder medical personnel present.
Topić will be ready for the start of the Thunder’s 2026-27 training camp.”
While the extensive rehab process rules the former 12th overall pick out of upcoming Summer League games, the franchise anticipates his return by training camp before the 2026-27 NBA Regular Season.
This neural decompression operation marks yet another physical obstacle for the 1.98-meter Serbian passer. Since being drafted by the Thunder in 2024, he missed his rookie NBA campaign nursing an overseas ligament tear, then sat out most of this past year fighting testicular cancer. Following autumn surgery and subsequent chemotherapy, the resilient athlete remarkably regained conditioning to celebrate his league debut in February.
Divided his schedule between the G League and the primary roster, he logged ten regular-season games before making brief appearances across nine matchups in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, presented by Google. He averaged 2.9 points, 2.5 assists, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.4 steals per contest.
Moving forward, the Thunder envision Topic supporting their backcourt rotation directly behind All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander once he secures total medical clearance.
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