ISTANBUL (Türkiye) - We first got to meet Alperen Sengun back at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket in Novi Sad, Serbia in 2018. He stood out with his talents, but seemed like he wasn't as vocal and confident as he should be for a prospect of his potential.
Fast forward to 2025. The 23-year-old is all grown up, and speaking his mind like a true international basketball star.
"Of course, the goal is a medal."
See? Alperen Sengun knows how good this Türkiye lineup is, he knows how motivated the team is, and he knows how much it would mean to all the fans back home.
"We haven't had a major success in a long time. I hope we can become a strong team and achieve this success. I hope I can give my country that feeling and emotion again," he told AA.com.tr.
Türkiye's only FIBA EuroBasket medal happened in 2001, exactly one year before Sengun was born.
Their last major event success was in 2010, when the nation reached the Final of the FIBA Basketball World Cup at home, losing out to a kid named Kevin Durant and the rest of the United States team.
That same Kevin Durant will now be Sengun's teammate with the Houston Rockets. Of course, he's not the same player as in Istanbul in 2010, but Alperen doesn't care because he knows how good of a fit KD will be with an already fantastic Rockets core.
"His age doesn't matter, he's Kevin Durant."
Simple as that.
"Our goal is the Championship. Everyone wants that. I hope we can give the city of Houston that," he added.
Given that he had signed a five-year contract with Houston last summer, Sengun's commitment to the team and the city is of no surprise. He kept improving with each year, going from 9.6 points and 5.5 rebounds as a rookie to 19.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game this past season, earning his first NBA All-Star selection.
"When I left Türkiye for the NBA, most people told me, 'Don't go.' My goal was to go and improve my body, my language, and my basketball skills," Sengun recalled.
"Staying in the NBA isn't easy because 60 new players arrive every season. Only those who work there can survive. Knowing this, I've tried to improve myself and my game every season."
That's good news for everybody planning to visit the event in Riga, Latvia. Sengun's Türkiye and Jokic's Serbia were drawn in Group A, alongside the hosts Latvia, Estonia, Czechia and Portugal.
Going up against Nikola Jokic and Kristaps Porzingis will be a bit different than when it happens overseas.
"I'm excited for every match I play for the national team. Fighting for my country there and playing with my friends is a completely different feeling than the NBA."
With Latvia being the hosts and one of the feel-good stories over the last couple of years, Serbia coming in with five major medals in last 11 years, and Türkiye clearly feeling confident about winning another medal, that's three ambitious teams in just one group.
Add giants like Spain, France, Germany, Greece, Slovenia, Italy or Lithuania, and one could say there are double digit legit contenders for three spots on that podium on September 14.
If you ask Sengun, all the others will fight for two spots, because one of them will belong to Türkiye.
"Whoever wants it most at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 will win. We have a very good team. If everyone is focused and plays with a desire to win, I believe we can achieve great things. I believe we can win a medal," he concluded.
FIBA