Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Took Major Steps to Clear Air With Alperen Sengun Amid Beef

The two-time league MVP was limited to just 12 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the floor and grabbing 12 boards, notching a -30 box plus-minus in 29 minutes of action. It represented Antetokounmpo's worst game by far in the tournament, 13 points less than his second-lowest scoring night in the competition, a 25-point night against Spain.

"I mean, we just put Ercan [Osmani] on him and helped as much as we could," Sengun said of their coverage on Antetokounmpo, per Edvinas Jablonskis of BasketNews. "And Ercan [Osmani] did a great job today. Of course, Giannis is one of the best players in the world. And we just tried to help Ercan. I think we did a good job."

Sengun finished with a 15-point, 12-rebound, and six-assist outing.

He made one key postgame quote that appeared to inflame Antetokounmpo, a slight at his distribution abilities.

"He's not a great passer. He's an amazing player, you know, but he's not a great passer. So we just tried to help and jump to close the paint," Sengun said.

Following Turkey's victory, Sengun wrote a post that appeared to be a subtle diss at Greece.

Antetokounmpo clapped back at Sengun's claims about his passing in a subsequent presser after claiming a bronze medal against Utah Jazz All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen's Finnish team, according to Jablonskis.

"I'm not the guy that will talk back to coaches or players or people that say bad things about me," Antetokounmpo claimed. "It doesn't really matter because at the end of the day, you won't remember what they say. You'll remember how I respond. So, I keep everything to myself."

"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," Antetokounmpo noted.

Although Antetokounmpo and Sengun were both named to the 2025 All-EuroBasket team, they avoided shaking each other's hands.

An Escalating Feud

When confronted with a flood of Turkish flags during an Instagram Live appearance, Antetokounmpo reacted harshly at first, later backtracking and conceded he overreacted.

Things escalated further. Antetokounmpo's wife, Mariah, revealed that she had received death threats online from a few Turkish fans.

Antetokounmpo and Sengun eventually co-wrote a post on Antetokounmpo's Instagram to heal the divide.

"We play for the love of our countries," they wrote. "We play for the love of game. We play with respect. We always remember sports are made to unite us not divide us x."