On the court, Alperen Sengun and Giannis Antetokounmpo battled fiercely, but their rivalry spilled over into a war of words off the court. Sengun called Antetokounmpo a “bad passer,” prompting the Bucks superstar to let his game—and his championship resume—speak for itself. Unfortunately, the feud escalated when Antetokounmpo’s wife, Mariah, received threats on social media.

The tension began after Greece’s EuroBasket semifinal loss to a dominant Turkish team, where Antetokounmpo scored a tournament-low 12 points. To quell the animosity, the two stars shared a photo from an NBA game, embracing with a message of unity: “We play for the love of our countries. We play for the love of the game.” Their joint caption read, “We play with respect. Sports are made to unite us, not divide us x.” To shield against further negativity, they disabled comments on the post and reinforced their message of peace through individual Instagram stories.

Notably, While Giannis celebrated on his Instagram Live following Greece’s win over Finland in the EuroBasket 2025 3rd-place game, the superstar reacted to a comment from a Turkish fan that insulted him. “Take the f— Turkish flag out here”. Now, the 2x MVP has offered his apology.

“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 parents raised us with love and respect.”

At the same time, even Sengun clarified his past remark. “My post after the game against Greece was a communication mistake. I have great respect for Greek people. No offense was ever intended.” Previously, the 23-year-old stated, “Is the sea breeze never good?” — widely seen as a reference to the 1922 Asia Minor Catastrophe, as per Basket news. It’s great that the two players hashed it out after the tournament, rather than prolonging it any further.

It was high time that the players stepped up, especially after the message that Mariah Antetokounmpo received. “We will k— your entire family. You will be afraid everywhere you go.” The mother of four shared the disturbing news on her Instagram story, and instead of ignoring it, she outed the person who shared such comments.

Mariah responded with poise and defiance:

How Giannis Antetokounmpo and Alperen Sengun’s situation led to unnecessary hate

The tension between Greece and Turkey at the 2025 EuroBasket wasn’t born in the semifinals—it simmered long before the two nations tipped off in Riga, fueled by a mix of historical rivalry, strategic mind games, and pointed barbs from coaches and players alike. As two basketball powerhouses with NBA superstars at their cores, the matchup carried extra weight, but the pre-game rhetoric turned what could have been a respectful clash into a powder keg of controversy.

It started with Turkey’s head coach, Ergin Ataman, who wasted no time in playing psychological chess ahead of the quarterfinals and semis. Ataman, known for his bold tactics and unfiltered commentary, zeroed in on officiating as a subtle dig at Greece’s reliance on Giannis Antetokounmpo. In a pre-semifinal presser, he remarked, “You can give a call to Giannis when people foul him, but also, I think, when he penetrates, if there is an offensive foul, they should call it too, because when I saw in the previous game [against Lithuania], I saw many, many offensive fouls.”

This wasn’t just about whistles; it was Ataman planting seeds of doubt, suggesting Turkey’s physicality could expose what he saw as favorable treatment for the Bucks star. Greece’s head coach, Vassilis Spanoulis—a EuroLeague legend and no stranger to high-stakes battles—fired right back, escalating the war of words into a full-blown coaching duel. Responding to Ataman’s comments, Spanoulis doubled down on the referee narrative but flipped it: “They’re calling him [Giannis] for more offensive fouls than he commits… I don’t think he is getting away with offensive fouls. They’ve also given him a lot of charges, which were not the right calls.”

But the subtext was clear: Turkey was resorting to gamesmanship because they couldn’t match Greece’s talent head-on.

Before the semi, Sengun reportedly promised Ercan Osmani, Turkey’s gritty forward, a luxury Rolex if he held the Greek Freak under 20 points. “I made a promise to Ercan,” Sengun later revealed. “If you keep Giannis under 20 points, I’ll buy you a Rolex.”

When the semifinal arrived, Turkey executed flawlessly, routing Greece 94-68 in a clinic of defensive discipline. Osmani earned his watch, limiting Giannis to a tournament-low 12 points on 6-of-13 shooting, while Sengun stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. Post-game, Sengun didn’t hold back on crediting the effort, but his praise carried a jab: “Holding a player like Giannis to 12 points is incredible… He’s an amazing player, you know, but he’s not a great passer.”

The fallout was immediate and fiery. Giannis, responded with characteristic restraint “I’m not the guy that will talk back… You can go see my clips on YouTube. And then come back and ask me if I’m a good passer. There you go. That’s it.” But Spanoulis unleashed a tirade in the post-bronze presser, dismissing Sengun’s analysis as amateurish: “Sengun is a very, very small kid to talk about Giannis… This is bulls–t. You know, we were not having a good day.”

The feud, born from brewing animosity, ended on a note of reconciliation—but not before reminding us how international ball can amplify every drive, every word, into something profoundly personal.

In fact, the tension between the two was also visible during the EuroBasket medal ceremony. The two All-Tournament selections avoided eye contact and did not shake hands, underscoring the strain. Their rivalry, unfortunately, became ammunition for some fans who crossed all borders of human decency. That’s why it was paramount that Giannis and Alperen took a stand together, which they did. After all, Greece was on the podium for the first time since 2009, and Turkey matched their silver medal finish from the 2001 EuroBasket.