A social media controversy erupted during the final days of the 2025 EuroBasket tournament, involving two NBA stars representing their home countries: Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece and Alperen Şengün of Turkey.
The tension began after Turkey defeated Greece in the semifinal. In a post-game interview, Şengün commented on the defensive strategy against Antetokounmpo, stating that while Antetokounmpo is an “amazing player,” he’s “not a great passer.”
This remark led to a retaliatory comment from Greece’s coach, Vassilis Spanoulis, who said Şengün was “a very, very small kid to talk about Giannis.”
Antetokounmpo also indirectly clapped back, referencing his NBA accomplishments and telling reporters to “go see my clips on YouTube” to judge his passing ability.
The rivalry between the two players escalated when Şengün posted a social media caption after the victory over Greece that was widely interpreted as a provocative historical reference. He wrote, “Wouldn’t the sea weather be nice?” which many Greeks took as a reference to the 1922 burning of Smyrna (modern-day Izmir), an event seen as a national tragedy in Greece and a liberation in Turkey.
The situation worsened when Antetokounmpo, during an Instagram live stream from the Greek locker room after winning the bronze medal, told a user to “take the f-cking Turkish flag out of here.”
Apologies from NBA superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Alperen Şengün after EuroBasket
In the wake of the controversy and the online hostility that was generated, both players issued public apologies on social media to de-escalate the situation. Antetokounmpo apologized for his “inappropriate comment” and expressed “love and respect for Turkey and people all around the world.”
Şengün also apologized, calling his post a “communication mistake” and stating he had “great respect for Greek people.” To further demonstrate their desire for reconciliation, the two players jointly posted a photo of themselves hugging from a previous NBA game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Houston Rockets.
The shared caption read: “We play for the love of our countries. We play for the love of the game. We play with respect. We always remember sports are made to unite us not divide us 🇹🇷 x🇬🇷.”
This, along with their individual apologies, appeared to put an end to the feud, emphasizing that the players had moved past the tournament-fueled rivalry and were focused on sportsmanship and unity.
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