President Erdogan receives Türkiye's basketball, volleyball teams after silver medal triumphs

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday received Türkiye’s men’s and women’s national teams at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, after both won silver medals at major international tournaments.

On Sunday, the Turkish men’s national basketball team, also known as the “12 Giant Men” (12 Dev Adam in Turkish), finished runners-up at EuroBasket 2025 in Riga in a thrilling contest against Germany in the final, their first European final in 24 years and only their second ever silver.

“I once again congratulate our athletes who put up an extraordinary fight. We are a little saddened that we couldn’t quite reach the trophy, but the fact remains that we have gained remarkable momentum in basketball,” Erdogan said on Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

The Turkish president added that he believed that Türkiye would prove to be the strongest team at the forthcoming 2027 Basketball World Cup in Qatar.