Oklahoma City Thunder guard Nikola Topic underwent a minimally invasive surgery on his spine and is expected to be ready for the start of training camp next season, the club announced Saturday.
The procedure -- called a lumbar microdiscectomy -- was performed by Dr. Andrew Dossett in Dallas with Thunder medical personnel present.
Topic, the 12th pick in the 2024 NBA draft, missed all of his rookie season due to a knee injury he suffered before he was drafted and then missed a large chunk of this season after receiving a testicular cancer diagnosis during the preseason.
He had a procedure in October, then underwent chemotherapy and worked his way back into shape. He made his NBA debut on Feb. 12 and appeared in 10 games for the Thunder in the regular season.
Because the lumbar surgery typically includes monthslong recovery process, Topic, 20, is likely to miss NBA summer league next month.
