For EuroBasket, Turkey presents a strong squad: « The goal is a medal »
August 2, 2025
Lilian Bordron
Turkey attempted to naturalize Kendrick Nunn for EuroBasket 2025
EuroBasket - The Turkish basketball federation considered having Kendrick Nunn play in EuroBasket 2025, before ultimately maintaining their trust in Shane Larkin.
Photo Credit : Sébastien Grasset
Kendrick Nunn (6’4″, 30 years old) could have worn the jersey of Turkey during EuroBasket 2025. This was revealed by Hidayet Turkoglu, president of the Turkish Basketball Federation, in an interview with Sports Digitale. Eventually, the federation chose to keep Shane Larkin (5’11 », 32 years old) as their naturalized player for the competition.
Shane Larkin preferred over Kendrick Nunn
« We considered Kendrick Nunn, but after reflection, we decided to continue with Shane Larkin, » stated Hidayet Turkoglu. « He has always felt like a member of this family, » he added about the Anadolu Efes point guard, who has already represented Turkey multiple times internationally.
Former Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers player, Kendrick Nunn joined Panathinaikos in fall 2023 and quickly established himself as one of EuroLeague’s best guards. His performances attracted attention from several European federations, starting with Turkey, always in search of an international-level point guard.
But despite the interest in Nunn, it’s Larkin who will represent Turkey at EuroBasket 2025, with the final phase taking place in Riga (Latvia). The latter, perfectly integrated into the Turkish system for several years, has shown his availability to defend the country’s colors once again.
| Player | Team |
| Yigit Arslan | Besiktas Istanbul (Turkey) |
| Onuralp Bitim | Fenerbahce Istanbul (Turkey) |
| Adem Bona | Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) |
| Sehmus Hazer | Bahcesehir Koleji (Turkey) |
| Furkan Korkmaz | Bahcesehir Koleji (Turkey) |
| Shane Larkin | Anadolu Efes Istanbul (Turkey, EuroLeague) |
| Sarper David Mutaf | Anadolu Efes Istanbul (Turkey, EuroLeague) |
| Cedi Osman | Panathinaikos Athens (Greece, EuroLeague) |
| Ercan Osmani | Anadolu Efes Istanbul (Turkey, EuroLeague) |
| Sertac Sanli | Free agent |
| Yigitcan Saybir | Tofas Bursa (Turkey) |
| Alperen Sengun | Houston Rockets (NBA) |
| Kenan Sipahi | Bahcesehir Koleji (Turkey) |
| Berk Ugurlu | Besiktas Istanbul (Turkey) |
| Erkan Yilmaz | Anadolu Efes Istanbul (Turkey, EuroLeague) |
| Omer Yurtseven | Panathinaikos Athens (Turkey, EuroLeague) |
A Strategic Choice
By keeping Larkin, Turkey is betting on continuity. Naturalizing a player requires time, commitment, and real investment on a collective level. The Turkish team didn’t want to disrupt everything just weeks before the European competition.
« Shane has always been there for us when we needed him. He’s a player who knows our system, who understands our expectations, » emphasized Hidayet Turkoglu.
A few months before EuroBasket, Turkey clearly shows its intentions: rely on a stable and experienced core rather than starting from scratch with a new naturalization.
Gabriel Pantel-Jouve is the founder and editor-in-chief of BeBasket, which he has been running since 2010 (formerly known as Catch & Shoot). Having studied at the École Publique de Journalisme de Tours and two universities in North America, he has developed his expertise in French basketball, from the National League to amateur divisions, over the past 20 years. Alongside this, he is also involved in the development of clubs in the Montpellier area.
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