Turkish basketball player makes history in NBA

HOUSTON

Turkish basketball player Alperen Şengün has made history as the youngest center to reach 1,000 points and 200 assists in the NBA.

The 20-year-133-day old Şengün, who plays for Houston Rockets, reached the NBA history record with 8 points and one assist in a game against Philadelphia 76ers.

The old record belonged to Cleveland Cavaliers’ Brad Daugherty, who was 21-years-153-days old when he reached those numbers.

The list goes on with Alvan Adam being the third, Bam Adebayo fourth and Nikola Jokic fifth.

“Making history is becoming a habit for Şengün,” International Basketball Association (FIBA) wrote in a tweet on Dec. 7, adding emojis of a Turkish flag and a smiling face.

Born on July 25, 2002, in the Black Sea province of Giresun, Şengün first signed his professional contract with Bandırma Kırmızı, a team from the northwestern province of Balıkesir in 2018. A year later, he played for Teksüt Bandırma and in 2020, he was transferred to Istanbul’s giant Beşiktaş.

Playing 29 games for Beşiktaş and being selected as the season MVP, he entered the NBA drafts in 2021. He signed with Houston Rockets on Aug. 7, 2021. He played 20 games in the NBA this season, averaging 15.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game.