Turkiye's head coach, Ergin Ataman, believes his EuroLeague team, Panathinaikos, could defeat the Houston Rockets if they had Alperen Sengun on the roster.
Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens and Turkiye's national team head coach Ergin Ataman once again sparked the debate between the EuroLeague and NBA.
Player of the Game
Alperen Sengun
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Alperen Sengun
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After the win against Czechia, Ataman claimed that his EuroLeague team would beat the Houston Rockets with Alperen Sengun on the Greek powerhouse roster.
"I saw on social media, both in the United States and in Europe, people writing about my statement on the difference between the EuroLeague and the NBA. Give me Alperen Sengun at Panathinaikos and we will beat the Houston Rockets," the coach said in the press conference.
Earlier, Ataman argued that the gap between the NBA and EuroLeague is not that big.
"I told people these things, if you took out one star player from these NBA teams, I believe that many EuroLeague teams can beat the NBA teams," he told basketball.com.au
Meanwhile, Sengun put on a show in the second game of EuroBasket 2025 against Czechia.
Sengun was just one assist shy of recording the fifth triple-double in EuroBasket history, finishing with 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists as Turkiye defeated Czechia 92-78 to secure their second consecutive victory.
"He's an All-Star NBA player now," Ataman said.
Sengun Came THIS Close To A Historic Triple-Double
Edvinas Jablonskis
Edvinas Jablonskis began his basketball coverage career in 2017. Starting as a Daily Writer for BasketNews.lt, he steadily climbed the ranks and became a Daily Editor for BasketNews.com in 2021, a position he continues to hold. Over the years, Jablonskis has covered multiple EuroLeague Final Fours and international tournaments, including the FIBA EuroBasket, FIBA Basketball World Cup, and FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
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