2 days ago
‘Different': Kevin Durant on Alperen Sengun's elite play for Turkey
Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun were both Western Conference All-Stars last season, and they're now teammates in Houston. This week, Durant is watching his co-star shine in European play.
As they gear up for the upcoming FIBA EuroBasket 2025 competition, Turkey lost Friday's preparation match versus Germany by two points. It was part of the DBB SuperCup and effectively a road game for the Turkish squad, since the game was played in Munich.
But that narrow defeat certainly wasn't the fault of Alperen Sengun, an NBA All-Star center with the Houston Rockets.
In under 32 minutes played, Sengun led the way with 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists while making 8-of-11 shots (72.7%) and 7-of-9 free throws (77.8%).
That total included a number of highlight moves, most notably a crossover spin from the perimeter that led to a running dunk. It's not a move that is seen frequently from big men, but Sengun isn't a normal big man.
One person who noticed was new Rockets teammate Kevin Durant, a future Hall of Famer and former Most Valuable Player (MVP). Responding to a clip of the move, Durant simply summed it up with one word.
'Different.'
Durant was responding to an X user who asked if any other big men were able to move as fluidly in space. The list is quite small, and it's a unique skill set that Durant will try to help Sengun maximize once training camp opens for the 2025-26 Rockets next month.
More: Rockets star Alperen Sengun to play for Turkey in FIBA EuroBasket 2025
