Thunder Rookie Nikola Topic Makes NBA History By Doing Absolutely Nothing
Nikola Topic has made NBA history that may never be broken.
Each time a team raises the Larry O'Brien trophy, a new line is etched into the NBA history books, but the Oklahoma City Thunder's run in 2025 has an extra asterisk next to it thanks to Nikola Topic.
Anyone who tuned into the NBA playoffs may not recognize Topic's name, and that is entirely fair given the fact that he didn't play a single minute in the playoffs.
In fact, the 19-year-old didn't play a single second for the Thunder after tearing his ACL and undergoing surgery.
Topic is still an NBA champion, however, and is now the first player in NBA history to win a title without ever actually playing in the NBA.
You could make the argument that Collin Gillespie winning a title with the Denver Nuggets without ever suiting up for the team in 2023 was the first player to accomplish the feat, but there are a couple of different caveats there.
Gillespie was on a two-way contract and did play for the Nuggets in the Summer League. Topic never suited up for Oklahoma City and signed a four-year contract worth $23 million.
Bad News, NBA Fans, The Oklahoma City Thunder Will Be Good For A Long Time
Topic not playing a single minute this past season presents a scary situation for the rest of the NBA. Not only did the Thunder put together an all-time great regular season and ended the year with a championship ring, but the team's 12th overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, Topic, was never available.
The already very young, very talented Thunder team will welcome a 6-foot-6 Topic to the squad before he's even old enough to legally buy an alcoholic beverage.
The rich get richer sometimes.