Giannis Antetokounmpo indirectly responded to some rather pointed comments from Alperen Sengun during this year’s EuroBasket tournament.
Sengun led Turkey to a 94-68 drubbing of Greece in the EuroBasket semifinals early last week. The Houston Rockets star made some comments about the Greek Freak after the game that weren’t exactly flattering.
The Turkish big man said Antetokounmpo was one of the best players in the world, but added that the two-time NBA MVP is “not like a great passer.” Sengun explained that Turkey’s all-out defensive focus on Giannis, who finished with a modest 12 points and 5 assists, was key to their 26-point victory over the Greeks.
Greece closed out its 2025 EuroBasket run with a 92-89 win Sunday in the battle for third against Finland. Antetokounmpo was asked about Sengun’s comments after the game.
“I’m a guy that doesn’t like to talk a lot, you know, I let my game talk,” said Antetokounmpo. “I’m going into my 13th season in the NBA. I’ve won everything. Everything. … I’m not the guy that will talk back to coaches, or players, or people that say bad things about me. It doesn’t really matter. Because at the end of the day, you won’t remember what they say. You will remember how I respond.
“Go see my clips on YouTube, and then come back and ask me if I’m a good passer or not.”
Giannis responds to Alperen Sengun’s comment about him not being a great passer:
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 14, 2025
“I’m a guy who doesn’t like to talk a lot, you know I let my game talk. I’m going into my 13th season in the NBA. I’ve won everything. Everything.”
(via @BasketNews_com)pic.twitter.com/i8DmJjAYWe
Sengun was arguably the biggest star of the tournament. The NBA All-Star led Turkey all the way to the EuroBasket final, where his team lost to Germany on Sunday in a game that went down to the wire.
But Sengun still has a long way to go to reach the heights that Antetokounmpo has in the NBA. While Giannis isn’t regarded as a premier passer, he’s averaged 5.0 assists per game throughout his 12-year career. He raised that figure to 6.5 per contest over the last two seasons.
The Bucks superstar went off for 30 points, 17 rebounds, and 6 assists in Greece’s third-place victory over Finland.
Sengun isn’t the only center to trash-talk Antetokounmpo during EuroBasket. Another NBA center had some choice words for Giannis earlier in the tournament.
