OKC Thunder Rookie Nikola Topic Undergoes Successful ACL Surgery

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced that rookie guard Nikola Topic underwent successful ACL surgery on Wednesday.

Jun 26, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Nikola Topic shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected in the first round by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

At the end of June, the Oklahoma City Thunder used their No. 12 overall pick to select 19-year-old guard Nikola Topic in the lottery. When Oklahoma City turned the draft card in, they understood the talented playmaker would likely need to miss his entire first season.

Topic suffered two knee injuries within the past season including a partially torn ACL just weeks before the draft. Once viewed as a top-five talent in this class, his draft day slide was predictable when the realization of a redshirt season on the horizon set in.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are well versed in redshirt seasons even dating back to Nick Collison but most recently with rising star Chet Holmgren. The seven-footer suffered a Lisfrac Fracture in August before the 2022-23 season causing him to miss the entire campaign. When the Gonzaga product returned to the floor in 2023-24 he helped lift the Bricktown boys to the No. 1 seed.

That success story made the Thunder more confident in taking on the talented guard in the 2024 NBA Draft with the knowledge and experience of maximizing a redshirt year.

On Tuesday, the team announced Topic underwent a successful procedure to address a left ACL Tear. The surgery was conducted by Dr. Neal ElAttrache at the Kerlan Jobe Institute in Los Angeles with Thunder medical personnel present. Topić is expected to miss the 2024-25 season as part of his rehabilitation process.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.