Alperen Sengun and Türkiye Made EuroBasket History Despite Loss

Throughout Türkiye's long history of basketball, it has had many great players and teams. Over its almost ninety years of existence, it has been essential to the entire country, from past national players like Mirsad Türkcan, Ömer Aşık, Mehmet Okur, Hedo Türkoğlu, to current players like Cedi Osman and possibly the greatest Turkish player in history, Alperen Sengun.

Even with all the great players in its history, Türkiye didn't win its first gold until the 1981 Balkan Championship. When it came to EuroBasket success, it took even longer. Türkiye didn't win its first medal until 2001, when it secured a silver medal.

Before the start of the 2025 EuroBasket tournament, the majority of the talk centered around countries like Germany, France, Serbia, and teams like Slovenia and Greece. Most people outside of Türkiye didn't even think they would get past the round of 16. Despite the lack of attention, Alperen Sengun and his teammates knew they were better than 27th in the world.

Sengun was part of the last EuroBasket team that made it to the round of 16. That was in 2022, and Sengun was beginning his NBA career, and Turkiye came within an overtime loss of making it to the quarterfinals. That disappointment helped fuel Sengun and Turkiye, and from the first game in group play, it was apparent this was a different team.

Sengun was on a mission from day one as he helped lead Turkiye to a 4-0 start heading into their biggest game so far in the tournament, taking on Nikola Jokic and Turkiye. From the first time Sengun stepped onto an NBA court, he has been compared to Jokic. As he continued to wow fans and analysts, he was given the nickname of Baby Jokic.

At first, Sengun embraced the moniker, but as he progressed in his NBA career, he began to let everyone know he was more than just a Jokic clone. Sengun went at Jokic from the tip-off, proving that exact point as his Türkiye team not only won the game, but Sengun outplayed the multi-time MVP, as he dominated on both sides of the court.

That was the game that put Türkiye on the map worldwide and let everyone know that this was a different team, one that could compete not just for any medal but for a gold medal. Türkiye went on to finish undefeated in group play and surged into the finals after a dominating performance over Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece.

Alperen Sengun and Türkiye still made history despite the loss

The finals were a matchup of the reigning world champions, Germany, and the up-and-coming Türkiye team led by Alperen Sengun. It was a back-and-forth contest with Türkiye leading for most of the game, leading by as many as six points in the fourth quarter. That, unfortunately, was the high point for Türkiye as Dennis Schorder made a late jumper to give them a three-point lead, and a late Sengun missed three-pointer sealed the victory for Germany 92-89.

A heartbreaking loss for Türkiye, which came within a few minutes of winning its first-ever EuroBasket gold medal. Despite the loss, Sengun and Türkiye proved that they can compete with anyone. With a 23-year-old Sengun, who is already one of the best players in the world and not even hitting his prime yet, the silver medal is only the start for Türkiye's national team, which will be a team to watch for a long time.