Former Cavs wing Cedi Osman confident as Turkey opens EuroBasket

Former Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman is back in the spotlight this week as Turkey tips off its EuroBasket 2025 campaign against host Latvia on August 27 in Riga.

Osman, who spent six seasons in Cleveland before moving on to San Antonio, is now one of the leaders for a Turkish team that finds itself in what many consider the tournament’s toughest group.

“This will be one of the best EuroBasket tournaments ever,” Osman said, via EuroHoops. “Every team has come with its best roster.

“It’s going to be a tough game against Latvia, but we had a very good preparation period and we are ready.”

Turkey’s Group A schedule also features Serbia, Czechia, Estonia and Portugal, and Osman isn’t shying away from the challenge.

“Serbia has a great team, a great roster, and they are one of the main candidates,” he said. “This is definitely the toughest group … but in the end, we are here to win every game.”

Head coach Ergin Ataman downplayed the difficulty of merging NBA and EuroLeague talent, saying chemistry has come together quickly.

“We had a month to prepare,” Ataman said. “When you have players like I have now, everything becomes easier.”

Turkey and Osman will look to start strong against Latvia as the competition gets underway.

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