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FIBA EuroBasket 2025 came to a close on Sept. 14 with the final game between Türkiye and Germany. However, the aftermath of the highly charged semifinal clash between Türkiye and Greece is still reverberating across the basketball world.
While Germany celebrated its championship and Türkiye achieved a historic runner-up finish, the spotlight has remained fixed on the tension between NBA stars Alperen Sengun and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The initial spark came during the semifinal, where Türkiye edged out Greece in a thrilling contest.
In the heat of the moment and the emotional aftermath of the match where Türkiye crashed Greece, Sengun and Antetokounmpo were seen tense.
What might have remained a brief display of frustration instead grew into a full-blown controversy once it spilled over onto social media.
Antetokounmpo went live on Instagram after the match, where tensions escalated further.
Reacting to Turkish fans flooding the chat with flag emojis, the Greek star lost his composure and snapped, “Take that (expletive) Turkish flag out of here.”
The comment was immediately clipped and shared widely, drawing swift and widespread condemnation from Turkish fans and media outlets.
As the post-match analysis unfolded, Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun commented on his matchup with Antetokounmpo: “Giannis is one of the best players in the world, but he’s not that great at passing. We built our strategy around that.”
The remarks drew attention from Greek basketball circles. National team coach Vassilis Spanoulis criticized the comments, suggesting they lacked respect.
Antetokounmpo responded to Sengun during the press conference: “Anyone who thinks I’m not a good passer should just watch my videos on YouTube.”
As fans from both nations clashed online, the two players attempted to send a message of reconciliation. Sengun and Antetokounmpo shared a joint post on Instagram, appearing side by side in a photo.
The post was intended to calm the heated debate, signaling that despite the fierce rivalry, both stars wished to cool down the situation.
Following the uproar, both players issued more formal statements.
Sengun sought to clarify his position, saying, “My post after the match was a communication mistake. I have great respect for the Greek people.”
Antetokounmpo, facing heavy criticism over his live-stream outburst, acknowledged his mistake: “I hold nothing but love and respect for the Turkish people. I made an inappropriate comment during a live broadcast. I sincerely apologize. I did not mean to offend anyone.”
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