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Turkey Apologizes After Controversial Basketball Post Sparks Outrage

9/15/2025

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Summary

Story summary

The Turkish basketball federation deleted a controversial post after the Hellenic Basketball Federation (EOK) protested.
The post showed Cedi Osman dunking and Giannis Antetokounmpo praying, captioned “No Mercy,” after Turkey's EuroBasket semifinal win over Greece.
EOK filed an official complaint, leading Turkey's federation to apologize and state the post was unauthorized.
Alperen Sengün's Instagram post referencing a historical event also drew backlash in Greece.
This incident underscores differing historical views between Greek and Turkish citizens regarding the 1922 Smyrna disaster.

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Story summary

The Turkish basketball federation deleted a controversial post after the Hellenic Basketball Federation (EOK) protested.
The post showed Cedi Osman dunking and Giannis Antetokounmpo praying, captioned “No Mercy,” after Turkey's EuroBasket semifinal win over Greece.
EOK filed an official complaint, leading Turkey's federation to apologize and state the post was unauthorized.
Alperen Sengün's Instagram post referencing a historical event also drew backlash in Greece.
This incident underscores differing historical views between Greek and Turkish citizens regarding the 1922 Smyrna disaster.