Alperen Sengun and Türkiye Move up 12 Spots in FIBA World Basketball Rankings

Entering the 2025 EuroBasket tournament, Alperen Sengun and Turkiye were an afterthought when it came to teams most believed could make a gold medal run. Even though Turkiye made it to the round of 16 in the 2022 tournament, they hadn't made it to the finals since their silver medal in 2001.

Sengun was part of that 2022 team that lost a heartbreaking game to France in overtime. At the time, Sengun was coming off his rookie season in the NBA, and even though he was part of the rotation, he wasn't the star player on that Turkiye team. That changed for EuroBasket 2025, as Sengun not only became the star of the team but was also one of the best players in the entire tournament.

Sengun had matchups against Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Kristaps Porzingis. Two former MVPs, a perennial All-Star, and Sengun outperformed all of them. Sengun was in the top five in points, assists, and rebounds. Sengun also made history, becoming the youngest player in EuroBasket history to secure a triple-double.

Sengun led Türkiye all the way to the finals in a matchup against the tournament favorites, Franz Wagner, Dennis Schröder, and Germany. Turkiye led for a good part of the game, but after an Alperen Sengun 3-point attempt came up short with under ten seconds remaining, Turkiye would fall 88-83.

Despite Türkiye coming up short in the EuroBasket Finals, it was still a historic run. Sengun made the All-Star five, and the tournament run put Türkiye on the map as a potential powerhouse in international play. Sengun, coming off an All-Star season, was already making a name for himself in the NBA, but his run in EuroBasket opened even more people's eyes to the type of player he has already become at the young age of 23.

FIBA released the latest world basketball rankings, and the top team remains unchanged, with the USA still number one in the world. Germany moved up to second in the world after their gold medal. However, the country with the most significant jump this year was Türkiye. Türkiye winning their first silver medal since 2001 has vaulted them up the world basketball rankings to 12th.