Nikola Jokić: “The future of Serbian basketball”
For nearly a decade, Nikola Jokic was the driving force behind the Denver Nuggets and the heart of Serbian basketball. As the 2025-26 NBA season continues, he has declared himself a member of the Oklahoma Thunder the future Serbian basketball.
Nikola Jokić on Nikola Topić:
“He is the future of Serbian basketball.”
“He’s fighting something that’s probably more important — the most important thing — and he’s won that.” pic.twitter.com/EZiDAKcusL
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) February 26, 2026
Jokić stated that he believes that Nikola Topić is the future of basketball and how they played together in the national team. In addition, he stated that he believes that Topic is playing for something more important and that he hopes to see him soon.
Topic recently debuted in the NBA for the Thunder and scored two points on three shots on February 12th. Since then, he has played sporadically for the short-handed Thunder. But the overriding story was the struggle he fought off the field.
In October 2025. The subject was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He has since battled the disease through chemotherapy, completing three rounds by January 2026.
Topić represented the Serbian national team in 2023, scoring an average of 15.3 points in seven games of the FIBA U18 National Championship. Significantly, his performance was enough to take home the MVP award. Topic hopes to take that game to the NBA level, and at the same time, he will fight the hardest battle of his life.
Topic has been battling the disease for months and continues to fight as he tries to help the Thunder stay on top despite the massive injuries they have. After receiving high praise from Jokic, the young Serbian superstar could fulfill the prediction and turn into a great player himself. If Topic’s NBA journey is anything like Jokic’s, the best may be yet to come.
2026-02-26 15:15:00
