Nikola Topic’s testicular injury for OKC Thunder won’t sideline him as long as you might think

Billy Heyen

Nikola Topic’s testicular injury for OKC Thunder won’t sideline him as long as you might think image

Um, ouch.

Oklahoma City Thunder wing Nikola Topic just underwent a testicular procedure on Monday, according to the Associated Press.

The injury timeline has been announced that Topic will have to miss at least four weeks. OKC added that the next re-evaluation of Topic will happen in a maximum of six weeks.

That makes it sound like it could be longer, if the evaluation in the four-to-six-week period doesn't go well.

But there's a lot not being disclosed here, so it's a tough one to figure out.

All we know for sure is that Topic underwent the procedure and seems likely to miss opening night.

Topic was the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He didn't play a game as he recovered from a torn ACL.

The 6-foot-6 Serbian standout did play in summer league.

He also started the Thunder's preseason opener on Sunday, putting up 10 points and seven assists in 31 minutes.

Evidently, something went wrong during or after that Sunday preseason game, and now Topic is on the sideline.

It'll be tricky to see how the Thunder might incorporate Topic midseason. The preseason seemed like a chance to finally get him up to speed, but now he won't get that.

The Thunder open the regular season on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at home against the Houston Rockets. The banner will go up that night for their NBA championship.

More NBA News:

Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle