{"id":594485,"date":"2026-02-10T12:13:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T12:13:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/594485\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T12:13:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T12:13:26","slug":"alperen-sengun-proud-to-deliver-nba-all-star-joy-to-turkiye-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/594485\/","title":{"rendered":"Alperen \u015eeng\u00fcn proud to deliver NBA All-Star joy to T\u00fcrkiye again"},"content":{"rendered":"

Houston Rockets center Alperen \u015eeng\u00fcn said sharing good news with T\u00fcrkiye means as much to him as the honor itself after earning his second straight NBA All-Star selection.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the Rockets\u2019 training facility, the 23-year-old described the back-to-back nod as a moment of pride not only for his career but for his country, especially during a difficult period back home.<\/p>\n

\u201cRecently, there have been earthquakes in T\u00fcrkiye and very bad things have happened,\u201d \u015eeng\u00fcn said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m always happy to bring good news.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u015eeng\u00fcn emphasized the responsibility he feels representing T\u00fcrkiye on the NBA\u2019s biggest stage, calling it a source of motivation throughout the season. \u201cI am proud to carry the name of T\u00fcrkiye on my shoulders,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s great, my friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u015eeng\u00fcn was officially added to the 2026 NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 8 as an injury replacement for Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, with Commissioner Adam Silver naming him to Team World.<\/p>\n

The selection makes \u015eeng\u00fcn the first Turkish player to earn consecutive All-Star appearances.<\/p>\n

Mehmet Okur remains the only other Turkish player to be named an NBA All-Star, earning a single selection in 2007.<\/p>\n

The Rockets\u2019 center has backed up the honor with one of the most complete seasons of his young career.<\/p>\n

Through 44 games, all starts, \u015eeng\u00fcn is averaging 20.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game while shooting 49.6% from the field.<\/p>\n


\n \"Houston
\n <\/a>
\n Houston Rockets center Alperen \u015eeng\u00fcn reacts during the second quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Toyota Center, Houston, U.S., Jan. 20, 2026. (Reuters Photo) <\/p>\n

His assist average is a career high and highlights his evolution into one of the league\u2019s most versatile playmaking big men.<\/p>\n

This season, he is one of only a handful of players averaging at least 20 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.<\/p>\n

\u015eeng\u00fcn\u2019s production has helped keep Houston competitive in the Western Conference and further cemented his status as a cornerstone of the franchise.<\/p>\n

The 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend will be held Feb. 13 to Feb. 15 in Inglewood, California, with the 75th All-Star Game played Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome, the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s event will debut a new USA vs. World format, featuring a round-robin tournament among three teams playing four 12-minute games. The All-Star Game will tip off at 5:00 p.m. ET and air on NBC and Peacock.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\n The Daily Sabah Newsletter\n <\/p>\n

\n Keep up to date with what\u2019s happening in Turkey,
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\n This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Houston Rockets center Alperen \u015eeng\u00fcn said sharing good news with T\u00fcrkiye means as much to him as the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":594486,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3794],"tags":[2516,1307,7,292,194,4066,6,211],"class_list":{"0":"post-594485","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston-rockets","8":"tag-all-star-game","9":"tag-alperen-sengun","10":"tag-basketball","11":"tag-houston","12":"tag-houston-rockets","13":"tag-houstonrockets","14":"tag-nba","15":"tag-rockets"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116046280819485090","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594485"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594485\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}