Nikola Topic of the Oklahoma City Thunder, after three months away from the game undergoing treatment for testicular cancer, made his return to basketball on Monday night.
He posted seven points, one rebound, and seven assists in 16 minutes for the G-League's Oklahoma City Blue. It's a strong showing, but the importance of his return goes beyond basketball.
After missing his entire rookie season with a torn ACL, Topic's return to the game is absolutely marvelous. In a time of turmoil for the Thunder, the young guard has managed to put things in perspective.
Nikola Topic's return is just the beginning of a marvelous comeback
Recently, Oklahoma City has suffered a bit of a rough stretch. They're now 5-5 in their last 10 games with their narrow win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, and they're still without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell as their pair of ball-handlers work their way back from injury.
They've also been without Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso, and Isaiah Hartenstein for lengthy stints this season.
To top it all off, the league is investigating the team for resting players due to injury in their Feb. 4 game against the San Antonio Spurs.
Even for a team as dominant as the Thunder, tough times will come in the course of the regular season. But it's easy to get unnecessarily caught up in them.
For many Oklahoma City fans, all eyes are on the Thunder's bid for a second-straight championship. With everything that's gone on recently, how can you not feel a bit of pessimism?
But Topic's limited return should serve as a stark reminder. Basketball can often be bigger than the day-in, day-out happenings of the league and the teams who inhabit it. It's a game of willpower, of strength, of determination, and ultimately of people and their stories and histories with the game they love.
Topic's return is the culmination of one of the most difficult battles we have ever seen a young player go through. He was a very talented player coming out of the draft, and he still possesses that talent. But circumstances have prevented him from realizing it to this point.
It remains to be seen whether he'll see NBA action this season. But that's, ultimately, beyond the point.
Topic has fought his way back into action, and his return should help us remember what's ultimately at stake here. It's not truly the championships or the win totals.
It's the smaller successes, the personal stories of triumph and perseverance, that truly make the game of basketball great.