Alperen Sengun Continues to Show He Will Put Team Over Individual Accolades

From the time Alperen Sengun burst onto the national scene, winning MVP of the BSL's regular season, he was destined to become one of the world's best players. Sengun has done nothing to change that perception as he has gone from coming off the bench in his rookie season for the Houston Rockets to an All-Star in only his fourth season.

Sengun's improvement has continued into this summer as he has propelled his Turkiye team from afterthought in the EuroBasket tournament to gold medal favorite. Sengun is in the top five in points, rebounds, and assists as he has led his team to a 6-0 record and its first semi-finals berth since their silver medal in 2001.

Sengun has been the best player for either team in every single game Türkiye has played, including a win over Serbia and future Hall of Famer and former multi-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Sengun has been his usual dominant self on the offensive end but also continues to show he can make an impact on the defensive end of the court, where he has made several game-changing defensive plays.

Even though his offensive and defensive play has been impressive, there is something else about Sengun that has not only been impressive during this tournament but also his entire career, and that is his willingness to put team success over individual accolades.

Alperen Sengun Has Been the Ultimate Team Player From Day One

When you reach the level of a professional player, whether overseas or in the NBA, along the way, you probably displayed some elite skills. Some players excel on the offensive side of the court, some on the defensive side, and a select few excel on both ends of the court. However, no matter how good you are on offense or defense, if you are a player whose only concern is individual achievements, you won't win consistently, especially in the NBA.

As great as current players like Nikola Jokic, Steph Curry, LeBron James, and Giannis Antetokounmpo are, they have been able to win because they are first and foremost team players consistently. The Houston Rockets also have a star-level player who fits that mold in Alperen Sengun.

From the time Sengun stepped onto the NBA court and even before, during his time playing in Turkey, Sengun has prioritized winning over everything else. Sengun did not complain when he was one of the best players on the team in his rookie season, but still came off the bench. Sengun didn't complain in his third season when he was pulled from some late-game situations in favor of a different defensive lineup.

Sengun again displayed his team-first attitude in his most recent game. Turkiye defeated Poland to reach the FIBA EuroBasket semi-finals, and in the win, Sengun became the youngest player ever to achieve a triple-double. Some players would have talked only about their achievement after a performance like that, but Sengun only wanted to talk about the team's success.

From the very first day I spoke to Sengun a few years ago he has been all about team success over individual accolades.

"I'm a team player, so I'm gonna do whatever it takes to win... if it’s defense day, defense day... offense day, offense day.” pic.twitter.com/73eH7goABQ
— Lachard Binkley (@BinkleyHoops) September 9, 2025

Alperen Sengun's team-first approach is a major reason why Turkiye has a chance at its first gold medal and why the Rockets have a chance at their first title since 1995.