At age 20, Topić was diagnosed with testicular cancer! Nenê also faced the same diagnosis: after surgery, he continued treatment for 11 years.

On October 31st Beijing time, fans only knew that Thunder guard Topić had a surgery related to his testicles, but the specifics were unknown. Thunder GM Presti publicly disclosed Topić’s cancer diagnosis today, bringing the truth to light.

Before the Thunder faced the Wizards, Presti briefed the media on Topić’s latest status. He said, “A biopsy was necessary during the surgery, and the results confirmed he has testicular cancer. He is being treated by highly skilled oncology teams at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center and MD Anderson Cancer Center, who are very optimistic about his prognosis. It’s important to highlight that testicular cancer has the highest cure rate among all male cancers.”

“However, the oncology team currently recommends chemotherapy as the treatment plan. Topić preferred to keep this private until starting actual treatment, which he has recently begun.”

Doctors expect Topić to make a full recovery. “Our only hope for him is to focus on treatment — that is his top priority right now. When his health allows, he will naturally return to the court, but we are not setting any timeline for that,” said Presti. “He will receive our full support, encouragement, and care, and his teammates have been very supportive throughout.”

Topić is not the only NBA player in history to be diagnosed with testicular cancer during his career. Although there have been others with the same diagnosis, 20-year-old Topić is undoubtedly the youngest. For this 2024 first-round draft pick, this is a worrying setback — his entire rookie season has been spent recovering from an ACL tear.

Injury expert Jeff Stotts noted that former NBA player Nenê was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2008 at age 25. Stotts reported: “Prayers go out to Thunder guard Nikola Topić, who was just diagnosed with testicular cancer. Former NBA big man Nenê also battled testicular cancer, undergoing chemotherapy during his career and missing 76 days in the 2007-08 season. After recovery, Nenê went on to play 11 more seasons.”

Nenê underwent surgery and chemotherapy during the 2007-08 season and ultimately made a full recovery. He played 17 NBA seasons total, representing three teams (Nuggets, Wizards, and Rockets), and was once teammates with Harden.