Count Los Angeles Lakers legend LeBron James among many NBA observers who were impressed by Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun this offseason.
Sengun led his native Turkey to an 8-1 record and a second-place finish (tied for the best in program history) at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 tournament, and the 23-year-old earned all-tournament honors in the process.
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Since then, the 2025 NBA All-Star has sustained that form in the opening games of the Rockets’ 2025-26 preseason.
On his latest episode of his Mind The Game podcast, James was asked about EuroBasket and players who featured internationally during the recently completed offseason.
Regarding Sengun, the future Hall of Famer said:
Hell of a summer. Hell of a summer. Hell of a summer. I think he’s going to ride that wave right to Houston and have a big year for them.
It’s not the first time that James — the league’s all-time leading scorer, a four-time NBA champion and Most Valuable Player (MVP), and 21-time All-Star — has had kind words for Sengun.
The complete episode can be viewed below, with the Sengun discussion coming in the 23rd minute. James then addresses the shocking knee injury suffered by veteran guard Fred VanVleet, calling it a “tough blow” for the Rockets.
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In Houston, the hope is that Sengun will now prove capable of taking on even more scoring and playmaking responsibilities.
More: After two preseason wins, Rockets wowed by Alperen Sengun’s elite playmaking
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: ‘Hell of a summer’: LeBron James praises Rockets star Alperen Sengun