Rockets' Alperen Sengun Has a Rare Opportunity in EuroBasket Semifinals

Houston's star has been dominating the competition and could accomplish a rare feat for his home country of Turkey.

Apr 26, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) warms up before game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

As EuroBasket 2025 carries on into the late stages of the knockout round, just four teams remain in what has been a thrilling tournament. An event that started on Aug. 27 is nearing an end with the championship taking place on Sept. 14.

The four teams that are Germany, Greece, Finland and Turkey, home of Houston Rockets All-Star Alperen Sengun. There were high expectations for all four squads, but only one will be awarded gold, and one will walk away from the final two rounds with nothing.

Sengun and Turkey came into the tournament with relatively high expectations, but they have certainly exceeded them at this point. A 'successful' run was determined by many to finish high in Group A and win one, maybe two games in the knockout round.

Now, sitting just one day away from its semifinal match against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece, it's safe to say Turkey has exceeded those expectations with flying colors.

If Sengun leads his team to a win over Greece, Turkey will have made the EuroBasket podium for the first time since 2001. 24 years ago, the country was led by players such as Hedo Turkoglu and Mehmet Okur. It has been a long time since the nation tasted basketball glory like this.

A podium appearance for Sengun would increase his notoriety as a global basketball star. In this year's EuroBasket, the 23-year-old is averaging 21.6 points (7th), 10.9 rebounds (2nd) and 7.1 assists (2nd) per game, making him one of the tournament's most valuable players.

Sengun has also given Turkey some signature wins. In the final match of group play, the Turkish center outduelled Serbia and three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic to clinch Group A. He put up 28 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. In Turkey's most recent game against Poland, the 6-foot-11 big man became the youngest player to post a triple-double in EuroBasket history. He put up 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists while committing just one turnover and notching three steals on the other end.

If Sengun can continue his dominance with the support of his Turkish teammates, such as Shane Larkin, Cedi Osman and Ercan Osmani, the country could not only be on the podium but hoist a trophy as champions of European basketball. They still have to get through Greece and the winner of Germany versus Finland, but they've gone from an underdog story to true contenders at this point.