Though one of the most well-known players in the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, tends to stick to himself. But after a highly publicized interaction with Tyrese Haliburton’s father during the 2025 NBA Playoffs, Antetokounmpo has once again found himself in a beef this summer.
It stems from comments made by Houston Rockets’ star Alperen Sengun at the 2025 EuroBasket tournament. After leading his team over Antetokounmpo, Sengun made it clear that he doesn’t believe the ‘Greek Freak‘ is a good passer. Antetkounmpo, in turn, responded, citing his NBA accomplishments as the reason why he dispelled Sengun’s claim.
“I‘m a guy that don’t like to talk a lot,” Antetokounmpo said. “I let my game talk. I’m going into my 13th season in the NBA, I’ve won everything. Everything. And (EuroBasket) was the thing I hadn’t won, and I won…At the end of the day, you won’t remember what they say, you will remember how I respond.”
Antetokounmpo and Greece finished third in the competition, beating Lauri Markkanen and Finland in the bronze medal game for his first medal on the national team. Sengun and Turkey finished second, losing to a Dennis Schroder and Franz Wagner-led Germany team in the Final for their second-ever time winning the tournament.
A Giannis Antetokounmpo and Alperen Sengun Beef
Sengun and Turkey held Antetokounmpo to his ‘worst‘ performance of the tournament as they beat Greece 94-68 in their semifinal matchup. The star finished with just 12 points on 6/13 shooting, with 12 rebounds, and five assists. Greece shot a combined 44.3% from the field compared to Turkey’s 53% shooting.
After the game, Sengun praised Antetokounmpo, but made sure his stance that he is ‘not a great passer‘ was heard by reporters.
– Alperen Sengun on Giannis Antetokounmpo
(h/t @BasketNews_com )
“Of course, Giannis is one of the best players in the world. We just tried to help Ercan and think we did a good job,” Sengun said after Turkey’s semifinal win over Greece. “He’s not a great passer. He’s an amazing player but he’s not a great passer. We just tried to help, jump, and close the paint.”
That comment sparked the retort from the 2021 NBA Finals MVP.
“I‘m not the guy that will talk back to coaches or players or people that say bad things about me,” Antetokounmpo said. “So I keep everything to myself. You can go and check my YouTube. Go see my clips on YouTube and then come back and ask if I’m a good passer or not.”
Antetokounmpo has a career average assist per game mark of 5.0, meaning that even as a big man, he remains a relatively strong passer, just based on the numbers.
He’s averaged 6.5 assists per game over the past two seasons, and has gone seven straight seasons with at least a five-assist-per-game average. Antetokounmpo is also the Bucks’ all-time leader in assists, a statistic that remains impressive for a player who has been the franchise’s leading scorer during his time in Milwaukee.
The Greek Freak Finally Got National Team Glory
While the comments between Antetokounmpo and Sengun will likely recirculate when the Bucks and Rockets play during the 2025-26 NBA season, both led their teams to historic success in the EuroBasket tournament.
Most notably for Antetokounmpo, who won his first medal in a major competition for Greece. He had 30 points, 17 rebounds, and six assists in the third-place game against Finland to win the nation’s first EuroBasket medal since 2009.
After the game, Antetokounmpo said the win was ‘probably one of the biggest accomplishments‘ of his life.
“We did it. This is probably one of the biggest accomplishments that I’ve ever accomplished as an athlete,” Antetokounmpo said. “I know I’ve won an NBA championship, but there’s no feeling like representing your national team and representing 12 million people that breathe and live this national team. This is probably the greatest accomplishment so far in my life.”
Despite their back-and-forth, both Antetokounmpo and Sengun had extremely successful outings at EuroBasket 2025 in preparation for the upcoming NBA season. Both ranked top ten in scoring, top five in rebounds, and top 25 in assists. Both were named to the All-Star five, alongside Schroder, Wagner, and Luka Doncic.
But regardless of their individual play in the tournament, the comments between Antetokounmpo and Sengun only fuel the fire for the Bucks and Rockets’ first matchup of the NBA season on November 9th.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Rips Rockets Star After EuroBasket Finish