Alperen Sengun Added to 2026 NBA All-Star Mini-Tournament
SLUG: alperen-sengun-added-2026-nba-all-star
HOUSTON — NBA commissioner Adam Silver has selected Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun as an injury replacement for the 2026 All-Star event, the league announced Tuesday on social media.
Sengun will fill the roster spot vacated by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is sidelined by an abdominal strain and will miss the festivities through the All-Star break. Gilgeous-Alexander, last season’s Most Valuable Player, had been slated to compete for Team World.
The nod marks Sengun’s second consecutive All-Star appearance. Now in his fifth NBA season, the 23-year-old Turkish big man has appeared in 44 games in 2025-26, averaging 20.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.0 block across 34.0 minutes per contest while shooting 49.6% from the field, 29.8% from three-point range and 69.3% at the free-throw line.
This year’s showcase features a new format: three teams will face each other once in 12-minute games, with the top two advancing to a championship round. Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff, San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson and Toronto’s Darko Rajakovic will coach the respective squads.
The full roster of 2026 All-Stars and their team assignments is available on the NBA’s official channels.
Source: Hoops Rumors
