Turkish basketball player Alperen Sengun shortlisted for Balkan Athlete of the Year award

LONDON

Turkish national basketball player Alperen Sengun, a star center for the Houston Rockets, is among the final 10 candidates for the Balkan Athlete of the Year award, organized for the 52nd time by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA).

The traditional annual poll is decided by national news agencies from across the Balkans, with Anadolu Agency among the participating organizations.

Sengun earned his place on the shortlist after playing a key role in Türkiye’s run to the silver medal at the 2025 European Championship, further strengthening his profile as one of the region’s leading athletes.

The top 10 of the 2025 poll also included David Popovici (swimming, Romania), Distria Krasniqi (judo, Kosovo), Emmanouil Karalis (pole vault, Greece), Zrinka Ljutic (alpine skiing, Croatia), Nikola Jokic (basketball, Serbia), Stefanos Douskos (rowing, Greece), Giannis Antetokounmpo (basketball, Greece), Aleksandar Nikolov (volleyball, Bulgaria), and Karlos Nasar (weightlifting, Bulgaria).

A total of 47 athletes were nominated in this year’s poll. The winner and full results will be announced at a ceremony in Sofia, Bulgaria on Feb. 16.