Imagine winning a championship ring by doing absolutely nothing … that’s what happened with Nikola Topic.
Every season when an NBA team raises up the Larry O’Brien trophy, the league’s history books get a new slice of golden information, but the 2025 title for the Oklahoma City Thunder is a little bit more special courtesy of their guard Nikola Topic.
If you tuned into the NBA postseason, you probably don’t remember hearing anything about Topic, and that’s because he didn’t play a second during so. Not a single one. (RELATED: LeBron James & Co. Catch Hilarious Stray During ‘Real’ NBA Championship Celebration)
Topic, 19, was unable to play because of an ACL tear and having to undergo surgery.
Per our research, Nikola Topic would be the first player to win an NBA title before playing an NBA game. https://t.co/4J9uWPiUJ6
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) June 23, 2025
With that being said, Topic still is technically a champion being a part of the Thunder roster, and with this being the case, he’s the first player ever in the history of the NBA to win a ring without playing a single second of action.