Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Greece team bowed to Turkey in the semifinals of EuroBasket 2025 but then the latter’s star Alperen Sengun had to throw some shade towards the Milwaukee Bucks superstar, triggering wild exchange over media and the internet.
EuroBasket is over and the two national teams both failed in getting the gold medal. However, their rivalry poured over the internet. Some Giannis and Greece fans did not like it when Sengun belittled the Greek Freak’s passing game after their victory over the Hellas.
Antetokounmpo did not say anything until they won the bronze medal against Finland but it was his coach Vassilis Spanoulis who had strong words for the Houston Rockets star, calling him a child compared to Giannis.
Turkish fans, of course, did not like that take and so, they took to Antetokounmpo’s social media by spamming his IG live with Turkey flags, prompting him to say some explicit.
“Take the f** Turkish flag out here,” he said.
Some Turkish fans take it to the extreme by threatening Antetokounmpo’s wife Mariah on Instagram.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s wife, Mariah, shared that her and their family received death threats during EuroBasket 2025 😢 pic.twitter.com/dX6s0FLYCU
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) September 16, 2025
Giannis Antetokounmpo takes the high road
What was supposed to be display of sportsmanship has turned into an ugly conflict and before it gets even uglier, Giannis stepped up to quash any non-basketball rivalry he and his country are having with Turkiye.
“During my live feed, I made an inappropriate comment responding to somebody that was making disrespectful remarks. My intention was never to offend anyone. And I’m deeply sorry. I have nothing but love and respect for Turkey and people around the world.
That’s how our prents raised us with love and respect.”
He also posted a photo of him hugging with Sengun after the conclusion of their match in the NBA. He turned off the comment section to prevent any more word war.
It was a tandem post with Sengun who also have it on his feed. The Rockets star also apologized for his words against after the victory over Greece as many thought he was referencing an event in history where the Turks killed a number of Greek by the sea.
I am a big Sengun fan but this caption, as a Greek, is truly, truly disrespectful and shows how immature Alperen actually is. It is legit racist and goes way back. I am torn between loving him and hating him. Not because of him defeating us, but because of this racist caption… pic.twitter.com/xXl3RJZJgM
— kappa (@kappawarrior13) September 12, 2025
Alperen Sengun also apologized for his inappropriate post on IG after Turkiye’s win against Greece. Nice move by both guys tonight. Sports unite. Bravo to them. pic.twitter.com/m2d8epu3Gt
— Harris Stavrou (@harris_stavrou) September 16, 2025
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