Sports
Şengün makes Turkish history with 2nd straight NBA All-Star nod
Houston Rockets’ center Alperen Şengün became the first Turkish player to appear in the NBA All-Star Game twice, reinforcing his place among the league’s elite and carving out another milestone for Turkish basketball.
In the first All-Star Game under its revamped format, the USA Stars rolled past the USA Stripes 45 to 21 in Sunday night’s final, with Anthony Edwards earning MVP honors.
Yet for Türkiye, the spotlight fell firmly on Şengün, who once again carried his nation’s flag onto the game’s biggest midseason stage.
Impact beyond minutes
Şengün logged just nine minutes across his appearances, but he squeezed meaning out of every second.
In the tournament opener, he needed only three minutes to collect four rebounds and dish out two assists. Quick off his feet on the defensive glass, he pushed the ball with confidence and dictated tempo in transition.
In his next outing, he added one point, one rebound and two assists in six minutes. Scoring was secondary. Playmaking was the message. The 23-year-old orchestrated possessions, found cutters and spaced the floor with the poise of a seasoned floor general.
He closed his All-Star campaign with five rebounds and four assists. Modest numbers on paper. Noticeable influence on the court.
Speaking at Media Day at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, Şengün reflected on how quickly expectations have changed.
Last year, he said, the moment felt new. This time it felt necessary.
“It means something to me that people in Türkiye wake up at four or five in the morning to watch,” Şengün said. “Last year I was more excited because it was my first time. This year I told myself I have to be here. Not being here would have been a disappointment.”
That shift in mindset speaks volumes. Şengün is no longer content with participation. He expects presence.
He also stressed how much it meant to share the stage with family, including his older brothers and his first coach. For a player who grew up far from the NBA spotlight, those moments carry weight beyond the hardwood.
Eyes on bigger goals
Şengün did not shy away from ambition. One of his long-term targets is guiding Türkiye back to the Olympic stage in 2028.
Asked which Olympic sport he might have excelled in, he smiled and said swimming, noting he spent much of his childhood in the water because his father was a fisherman.
Even amid All-Star festivities, his focus extends beyond exhibition games. It stretches toward national duty and sustained NBA relevance.
The weekend was not without noise. Screenshots circulated from a fake social media account falsely attributed to Kevin Durant, containing inflammatory comments about Şengün and other NBA figures, along with remarks referencing Israel and drones.
The messages were widely identified as fabricated and did not originate from Durant. The incident briefly stirred online debate but had no bearing on the All-Star event itself.
Turkish trailblazer
Two straight All-Star selections confirm what Rockets fans have watched all season. Şengün is no longer a promising prospect. He is a franchise cornerstone, a creative big man who blends rebounding, vision and scoring instincts in a way few centers can replicate.
For Turkish basketball, his second All-Star appearance is more than a personal triumph. It is proof that the pipeline can produce players who do not just reach the NBA stage, but belong there.
At center court on one of basketball’s brightest nights, Kyrie Irving let his outfit do the talking.
The Dallas Mavericks guard arrived at the 2026 NBA All-Star Game wearing a black shirt stamped with a single word in bold white letters: “PRESS.” Beneath it, a tag carried a message: “Dedicated to our beloved journalists in Gaza showing the world the truth.”
Irving, 33, was not in uniform for the showcase at the Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers, but his presence courtside drew as much attention as any highlight. The shirt echoed the protective markings worn by reporters in conflict zones, turning All-Star Weekend into a stage for a tribute.
The gesture honored Palestinian journalists killed while covering the war in Gaza, a conflict that press freedom groups describe as one of the deadliest periods for media workers in recent memory.
Online discussions surrounding Irving’s appearance cited figures surpassing 200 journalists killed since hostilities escalated.
The apparel came from Wear The Peace, a brand that says it channels proceeds toward humanitarian causes linked to Palestine. Irving’s choice quickly spread across social media, igniting praise and criticism in equal measure.
This was not a one-off statement. In November 2023, Irving appeared at a postgame news conference wearing a black and white keffiyeh, a symbol widely associated with Palestinian solidarity.
He has repeatedly used public settings to spotlight Gaza, blending basketball celebrity with political expression.
Irving’s activism has long invited scrutiny.
He served a suspension in 2022 over unrelated social media controversy, yet he has also earned support from those who see him as an athlete willing to risk backlash to speak on global issues.
Turkish champions Galatasaray step back into familiar yet rare territory on Tuesday, hosting Juventus in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League playoff with a place in the last 16 on the line and decades of history swirling around them.
It will be the 27th time Galatasaray face Italian opposition in Europe and the seventh meeting with Juventus.
The Istanbul side have long measured themselves against Serie A heavyweights.
Their overall record against Italian clubs reads eight wins, eight defeats and 10 draws, with 32 goals scored and 38 conceded. Balanced numbers, but rarely dull nights.
Seventh date
Galatasaray and Juventus first crossed paths in September 1998 in Turin, a 2-2 draw that set the tone for a competitive rivalry. In six previous meetings, Galatasaray hold the edge with two wins, three draws and one defeat, scoring nine and conceding seven.
Juventus have never won away to Galatasaray. That detail will echo around RAMS Park.
The most iconic chapter came in December 2013.
A snowstorm in Istanbul forced the decisive group match to be halted after 33 minutes and resumed the following day.
In near whiteout conditions, Wesley Sneijder struck in the 85th minute to seal a 1-0 win, sending Galatasaray into the knockout rounds and dropping Juventus into the Europa League.
It remains one of the most dramatic European nights in the club’s modern history.
Gateway to glory
Italian opposition have shaped Galatasaray’s greatest continental triumph.
In November 1999, needing victory to stay alive in Europe, they beat AC Milan 3-2 in Istanbul to clinch third place in their Champions League group and qualify for the UEFA Cup.
That campaign ended with Galatasaray lifting the trophy, still the pinnacle of Turkish club football.
At home, they have built a fortress against Serie A sides. Galatasaray have not lost to an Italian team on their own turf since 1963.
In 12 subsequent home games against Italian visitors, they have recorded eight wins and four draws, scoring 20 and conceding 12.
Momentum meets expectation
This will be Galatasaray’s 200th European Cup match and their first Champions League knockout appearance in over a decade.
Coach Okan Buruk, a member of the 2000 UEFA Cup-winning squad, has restored domestic dominance with three straight league titles and now chases a breakthrough in Europe.
Despite a shaky league phase that included a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City, Galatasaray advanced and arrive in form. They have won four straight matches in all competitions, scoring 15 goals.
Captain Mauro Icardi has hit five in that stretch, including a hat trick in a 5-1 league win over Eyupspor.
Victor Osimhen, closing in on the club’s single-season Champions League scoring record, has found the net in five of his last six league appearances.
Buruk must decide whether to unleash both forwards from the start or add midfield control.
Juventus seek knockout revival
Juventus, twice European champions, reached this stage for the 10th time in 12 seasons but carry scars.
They have lost their last five knockout ties in the competition. Their league phase ended with a goalless draw in Monaco, finishing 13th with 13 points.
Since Luciano Spalletti’s arrival in November, they are unbeaten in five and have tightened defensively, keeping three straight clean sheets.
Yet away form remains a concern. They collected just five points from four away matches in the league phase and have stumbled domestically in recent weeks, including a 3-2 defeat to Inter in the Derby d’Italia.
Against Turkish sides, Juventus have five wins, three draws and two defeats in 10 games. Notably, all nine goals they have conceded to Turkish opposition came against Galatasaray.
With Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik sidelined, Juventus may rely on Jonathan David up front, supported by Kenan Yıldız, who has been one of their most creative sparks in Europe this season.
Real Madrid moved atop LaLiga with a commanding 4-1 win over Real Sociedad, while in Italy, Piotr Zielinski struck late to lift Inter Milan eight points clear at the summit of Serie A with a victory over Juventus.
Vinicius Junior scored two penalties while Gonzalo Garcia and Federico Valverde were also on target, with Mikel Oyarzabal replying with a spot-kick to send Madrid two points clear of Barcelona, who play at Girona Monday night.
Mauro Arambarri’s penalty and Martin Satriano’s header, either side of halftime, saw Getafe dent Villarreal’s top-four hopes as the visitors went down 2-1 at the Estadio Coliseum despite substitute Georges Mikautadze’s late strike.
Borja Iglesias stoppage-time equalizer secured a 2-2 draw for Celta Vigo at Espanyol.
The visitors led at the break through Ferran Jutgla’s opener, but goals from substitutes Kike Garcia and Tyrhys Dolan looked to have won it for the hosts until Iglesias’ last-gasp intervention.
Toni Martinez spared Alaves blushes as they came from behind to draw 1-1 at nine-man Sevilla.
The hosts, who had midfielder Juanlu Sanchez sent off for two bookable offences inside the opening 16 minutes, went ahead through Djibril Sow as the first half drew to a close, but Martinez leveled on the hour before substitute Joan Jordan was dismissed in stoppage time.
Inter soar in Derby d’Italia
In Italy, Piotr Zielinski’s sent Inter Milan eight points clear at the top of Serie A as his last-minute goal clinched a 3-2 Derby d’Italia victory over 10-man Juventus.
Juve’s Andrea Cambiaso had earlier scored for both sides before fellow defender Pierre Kalulu was sent off in an eventful first half, but Manuel Locatelli looked to have claimed a point for the visitors when he canceled out Francesco Pio Esposito’s header, only for Zielinski to win it at the death.
Moise Kean’s penalty proved the difference as Fiorentina boosted their survival hopes with a 2-1 victory at Como.
Nicolo Fagioli and Kean struck either side of halftime to give the visitors a 2-0 lead, and although Fabiano Parisi’s own goal gave the Cesc Fabregas’ men hope, it died with substitute Alvaro Morata’s 89th-minute dismissal for a second bookable offence.
Ederson’s first-half penalty and a second goal from Nicola Zalewski edged Atalanta to a 2-0 win at Lazio.
In Ligue 1, Wesley Said and substitute Rayan Fofana both scored twice, either side of Florian Thauvin’s penalty, as Lens routed Paris FC 5-0 at the Stade Jean Bouin to climb to the top of the table.
Joaquin Panichelli’s penalty in the seventh minute of stoppage time denied Marseille victory as Strasbourg fought back from 2-0 down to snatch a point at the Velodrome.
Mason Greenwood and Amine Gouiri had put the hosts into a strong position, but substitute Sebastian Nanasi reduced the deficit with 17 minutes remaining before Panichelli secured a 2-2 draw from the spot.
Lille needed a late equalizer from substitute Gaetan Perrin to claim a 1-1 home draw with Brest, who had gone ahead through Remy Labeau Lascary.
The West Indies stormed into the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup with a nine-wicket victory over Nepal in Mumbai on Sunday, powered by a four-wicket spell from Jason Holder and a half-century from Shai Hope.
Chasing a modest 134 for their third straight victory after battling knocks by Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee (58) and Sompal Kami (26 not out), West Indies eased to victory at Wankhede Stadium with 28 balls to spare.
After paceman Holder’s wickets laid the platform, captain Hope (61 not out) and Shimron Hetmyer (46 not out) guided their team home to rule Nepal out of the reckoning for the next stage of the tournament.
“I’m very pleased. This is what we set out to do and we got here. That’s one step and one hurdle that we’ve crossed and now on to the next stage,” Hope said.
“I’m glad I actually got the opportunity to decide what I wanted to do first. The guys put the ball in the right areas … It was difficult work for Nepal in the powerplay. Then it was about trying to limit the flow of runs and picking up wickets.
“It’s crunch time now, back into the Super Eights.”
A little over four months since their confidence-boosting 2-1 T20 series win over a weakened West Indies in Sharjah, Nepal arrived for the clash seeking their first victory in Group C of the World Cup after defeats by England and Italy.
Poor start for Nepal
They made a poor start after being asked to bat by table-toppers West Indies with Kushal Bhurtel bowled by Akeal Hosein on the fifth delivery of the innings and skipper Rohit Paudel trapped lbw by Matthew Forde shortly afterward.
Holder (4-27) ramped up the pressure by having Aasif Sheikh caught in the deep off a loose ball before Nepal limped to 22-3 in six overs, the lowest powerplay score in this edition of the event, silencing a large group of their fans.
Several soft dismissals meant Nepal struggled to recover before Airee cut loose and reached his half-century with a big six and Kami marked his recall to the side with late fireworks to take them to 133-8 in 20 overs.
“It was a challenge in the powerplay, their bowlers were using the conditions well,” Paudel said. “As a batting unit, we failed again. We need to step up.”
Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won a record ninth gold medal at the Winter Olympics Sunday by leading his country to victory in the cross-country relay, while Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury capped his Olympic career with gold in the men’s dual moguls for his fifth career medal.
Klaebo anchored the favoured Norwegian quartet, which also included Emil Iverson, Martin Lowstrom Nyenget and Einar Hedegart to gold in the 4×7.5-kilometer race ahead of France and hosts Italy.
The ninth gold moved Klaebo ahead of three compatriots who won eight gold medals in their career: Marit Bjorgen, Bjorn Daehlie (both cross country) and Ole Einar Bjorndalen (biathlon).
The 29-year-old won five golds in 2018 and 2022 and now has four more from four starts at the Milan/Cortina Games.
Klaebo has two more starts in the team sprint and 50-kilometer and if he wins those as well – like in his six-gold sweep at last year’s world championships – he will be the first Winter Olympian to get six golds at one Games.
That record currently stands at five golds, from American Eric Heiden’s speed skating sweep in 1980.
Klaebo was handed a 12-second lead by 10-kilometer bronze medallist, Hedegart, after Nyenget had put them ahead on the second leg.
Klaebo took no major risks and celebrated on the home straight to the finish line, where his teammates were waiting.
The world champions returned to the top of the podium, after being beaten by a quartet of Russian athletes in 2022, with a comfortable margin of 22.2 seconds over France.
The French got silver after three straight bronze medals in the event and their Mathis Desloges won a third Milan/Cortina silver.
Veteran Federico Pellegrino anchored Italy to bronze, their first relay medal since gold at the Turin Games 20 years ago.
Sweden, meanwhile, were never in contention, falling behind in the first leg and finishing almost three-and-a-half minutes back in 10th place.
Kingsbury bows out on top
Also Sunday, Canada’s “king of the moguls,” Kingsbury, signed off his Olympic career in style, winning the men’s dual moguls to collect his fifth overall Winter Games medal.
The 33-year-old fell marginally behind Ikuma Horishima early in the super final in Livigno, but his Japanese opponent lost control, flying over the second jump with no tricks to cross the line first.
Kingsbury, who took silver in the individual event earlier in the Milan-Cortina Games, kept his cool to become the first-ever winner of the men’s dual moguls – the discipline is making its Olympic debut in Italy.
He knew he had won as he crossed the line to win Canada’s first gold of the 2026 Winter Olympics, spreading out his arms in triumph.
The judges gave Kingsbury a decisive 30-5 victory, with Australia’s Matt Graham taking bronze.
“It’s the cherry on top of five Olympic starts and five medals,” said the Canadian. “I got to win it in 2018 (in Pyeongchang) in singles and I got to win it (today) in duals. It’s tough to find the words.
“I gave everything, this is extra special. I’m the oldest guy in the field. They keep me young in what I do, I love skiing. I’m very proud of myself.”
He added: “I knew it was my last Olympic performance … I had no regrets. I didn’t feel too nervous. I trusted my plan, I trusted the work that I put in with my team and just went for it. I’m really happy with the outcome.
“It wasn’t easy today. We had good conditions but the piste was not easy. But I just trusted my years of experience and the work of my team. I gave it my all, everything I had in my body, to go for this medal.”
Dual moguls is a freestyle skiing event in which two athletes compete side by side on a bumpy course, featuring two jumps, where they perform aerial tricks.
Judges choose the winner of each contest based on speed and style.
Kingsbury won moguls gold at the 2018 Games and has taken three silvers in the event – in 2014, 2022 and earlier in these Games.
In all his Olympic and world championship appearances, he has been absent from only one podium – dual moguls at the 2017 world championships.
He is also the only moguls skier in history to claim a century of World Cup victories.
In his 23rd NBA season, the longest career in league history, LeBron James is still rewriting the record book and defying time.
At 41 years and 44 days old, James became the oldest player in NBA history to post a triple-double, doing so in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 124-104 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.
He sealed it with 2:06 remaining, grabbing his 10th rebound to go with 28 points and 12 assists. Moments later, he checked out to a standing ovation, recording the 123rd triple-double of his career, the fifth-most in NBA history.
In the process, James surpassed Karl Malone, who had held the record for 22 years after recording his final triple-double with the Lakers at 40 years, 127 days old.
Two decades on, Father Time is still chasing. James is still leading.
“I guess I’m more appreciative of moments like this in my career, understanding where I’m at at the later stage of my journey,” James said. “You definitely take it in a little bit more.”
While statistics and longevity records do not carry the same weight for James at this stage of his career, he said he values triple-doubles as a measure of his overall impact.
Although he has missed 18 games this season because of injury, James was no ceremonial selection to his 22nd All-Star Game this weekend. He showed why by dominating the Mavericks while Luka Doncic was out with a hamstring strain.
“I think what it represents is pretty cool, the fact that you can go out and have an impact in three facets of the game,” James said. “Rebounding. The assists, obviously, are what I love the most. Being able to get my guys involved, throughout my career I’ve always loved that more than anything. And being able to put the ball in the basket, that’s part of this game as well. So I think what it means, to be able to have your hand in three facets of the game, making an impact in those three, that’s pretty cool.”
James has remained highly productive when healthy. He reiterated his belief that he can continue playing at this level for years to come. He entered the game averaging 21.8 points, 6.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds. The Lakers are in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race despite playing only 10 games with James, Doncic and Austin Reaves all healthy.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer had not recorded a triple-double since Feb. 1, 2025, at New York. That day is remembered more for the late-night news of the trade that brought Doncic to the Lakers.
Malone had been the oldest player to post a triple-double since recording 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists on Nov. 28, 2003, in his final NBA season. James now owns the next 15 spots on that list. He had come close several times over the past year before finally breaking the record in the Lakers’ final game before the All-Star break.
With Doncic sidelined as his former team visited, James was aggressive from the opening tip, returning from his own injury absence in Tuesday’s loss to San Antonio.
After an animated pregame warmup, James scored 14 points and had six assists in the first quarter. He was involved in the Lakers’ first 23 points. By halftime, he had 18 points, eight assists and four rebounds. He reached double figures in assists during the third quarter and stayed in the game long enough in the fourth to secure the three rebounds he needed.
He nearly secured the milestone earlier, but Reaves grabbed a rebound in front of him.
“Everybody on the team yelled at me,” Reaves said. “I don’t catch myself looking at the stats during the game, so we went to the bench and everybody let me know about it. He didn’t, but everybody else. I looked at him and said, ‘Shoot, my fault.’”
After his streak of 20 consecutive All-Star Game appearances ended last year because of injury, James will return to the midseason showcase Sunday at Intuit Dome. He is ineligible for All-NBA consideration this season because of missed games, including the first 14 while dealing with sciatica.
Including the playoffs, James has 152 career triple-doubles.
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