NBA star Nikola Topic undergoes testicle surgery as team releases shock injury update

NBA player Nikola Topic underwent a testicular procedure on Monday, the Oklahoma City Thunder have announced in a surprising update.

Topic, 20, missed the entirety of his rookie season last year due to a torn ACL.

And the Serbian is now to set to be re-evaluated in four to six weeks following his procedure, the Thunder said.

The team did not provide further details on Topic's procedure. 

Topic, the 12th overall pick in last year's NBA Draft, played in the Summer League this year and started the team's preseason opener on Sunday against Charlotte.

He finished the game with 10 points and seven assists in 31 minutes.

The 6-foot-6 guard is the only new piece on a roster that has largely remained the same after winning the NBA title this past June.

And Topic recently said during the team's media day that he was looking forward to assisting the Thunder's trio of stars, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.

'I think I help them maybe like, get the ball up the court or something like that,' Topic said. 

'And just make some passes, get defense off their backs, like try to get attention to some other way. Try to free them up.'

Veteran guard Alex Caruso also said on media day that he expects Topic to be a good addition to the roster.

'I think for him, it's just about trying to fine-tune his game and accelerate that learning curve that comes with being a new player in the NBA,' Caruso said. 

'And for him, I think he'll be fine because he's pretty emotionless, to put it lightly. He's starting to make jokes now which is great. He's starting to get more comfortable. For him, I think it's just about letting him know that making mistakes is OK.'

The Thunder begin their regular season on October 21 against the Rockets.