Sengun Shines as Turkiye Tops Group A, Stirs EuroNBA Talent Debate

Alperen Sengun continued his torrid start to EuroBasket 2025, carrying Turkiye through the group stage with a string of dominant performances that culminated in a statement victory over Serbia on Sept. 3 in Riga. The Houston Rockets All Star produced near triple doubles and game-changing nights across multiple matchups, helping Turkiye clinch the top seed in Group A and raising fresh debate about how European club and NBA talent compare.

Sengun opened the run with a 23-point, 12-rebound, nine-assist outing in a 92-78 win over the Czech Republic, finishing 8-of-9 from the field and coming up one assist short of a rare EuroBasket triple double. He followed that with 20 efficient points in a rout of Portugal, and then delivered perhaps his biggest performance against Serbia, finishing with 28 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in a 95-90 victory over Nikola Jokic and the Serbians to hand Serbia their first loss of the competition.

The win secured Turkiye the No. 1 seed in Group A and ended a 19-game unbeaten run for Serbia that stretched back through qualifiers and the Paris Olympics. Teammate Shane Larkin lauded Sengun after the Serbia game, saying the 23-year-old is beyond the...