Stars are born on national teams. Their skills are sharpened in international competitions, confidence and experience boosted among countrymen and national team support.

Right now we’re watching it in real time with Alperen Şengün, the star of Türkiye and superstar of the NBA to come. I’ll get back to that spectacular game and the making of a superstar, which seemed to happen during it.

Like Lauri Markkanen, who firmly established himself on the NBA scene following his huge performance in Eurobasket 2022, earning him an NBA All Star spot and NBA Most Improved Player the following year in 2023. Now he is playing even better this Eurobasket, averaging 25.4 points, third in the competition.

Then there’s the feel-good story of Guershon Yabusele of France, who had a great Olympics 2024, in w

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