Background and career
Alperen Şengün (Turkish pronunciation: [ˈaɫpeɾæn ˈʃæɲɟyn], born 25 July 2002) is a Turkish professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the senior Turkish national team. Known for his post skills and creative playmaking abilities, Şengün was selected with the 16th overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft. He was named to his first NBA All-Star Game in 2025.
Şengün was born on 25 July 2002 in Giresun, a city in northeastern Turkey, to Kemal Şengün, a fisherman and former point guard who played in Turkey's first division in the late 1980s, and Ayşe Şengün. Although his parents wanted him to pursue swimming, he developed an appreciation for basketball after watching his older brother play. Şengün started to play basketball at the age of eight and trained in both basketball and swimming; however, due to the limited time available to train in both, he chose basketball.
In 2012, Şengün began playing youth basketball with teams affiliated with the sports club of Giresun University, where he remained until 2014. After being scouted by head coach Ahmet Gürgen during a youth sports festival, Şengün moved to Bandırma, in northwestern Turkey, where he signed a youth contract with Banvit on 19 August 2014. During the 2018–19 season, while playing for Banvit's under-19 team, Şengün won the Turkish Basketball Youth League championship, which had been established in 2017. He was also named the league's MVP.
Şengün began his professional club career during the 2018–19 TBL season with Bandırma Kırmızı, a team competing in the second-tier Turkish First League (TBL). Over 29 games, he averaged 10.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21.9 minutes per game. He shot 47.6 percent from the field overall, including 53.6 percent on two-point attempts, 25.9 percent from three-point range, and 60.0 percent from the free-throw line.
For the 2019–20 BSL season, Şengün joined Turkish Super League (BSL) club Teksüt Bandırma, a club in the top-tier Turkish Super League. In 22 league games, he averaged 5.0 points and 3.9 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per game. He recorded a field goal percentage of 51.1 percent overall, including 57.5 percent on two-point attempts, 0-for-10 from three-point range, and 58.6 percent from the free-throw line. He also competed in the FIBA Basketball Champions League, one of Europe's secondary-level club competitions. During the 2019–20 BCL season, he appeared in 15 games, averaging 6.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 14.9 minutes per game. He shot 48.0 percent from the field overall, including 53.6 percent on two-point attempts, 31.6 percent from three-point range, and 63.6 percent from the free-throw line.
In August 2020, Şengün signed a three-year contract with the Turkish club Beşiktaş. He had an outstanding regular season, averaging 19.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.7 blocks in 28.3 minutes per game across 29 appearances in the Basketball Super League. On 12 May 2021, he was named the BSL Most Valuable Player for the regular season. On the same day, he announced his decision to enter the 2021 NBA draft. Over the course of the 2020–21 BSL season, Şengün averaged 18.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.5 blocks in 28.1 minutes per game across 34 appearances. He shot 62.6 percent from the field overall, including 66.7 percent on two-point attempts, 21.2 percent from three-point range, and 81.2 percent from the free-throw line. Şengün also competed with Beşiktaş in the FIBA Europe Cup, a fourth-tier European-wide competition. During the 2020–21 season, he appeared in three games, averaging 23.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.7 steals, and 2.0 blocks in 29.7 minutes per game. He shot 71.0 percent from the field overall, including 75.9 percent on two-point attempts, 0–2 from three-point range, and 69.4 percent from the free-throw line.
