Rapid reconciliation! Giannis and Şengün jointly speak out: The true spirit of sports is unity, not division.

On September 17th Beijing time, Giannis and Şengün, who had a conflict during the European Championship, have quickly made peace. They issued a joint statement on social media, each apologizing for their actions.

In the joint post, Giannis and Şengün shared a photo of their embrace on the NBA court, captioned: "We fight for the love of our country. We fight for the love of the game. We compete with respect. We always remember that the meaning of sports is to bring us together, not to divide us."

In the European Championship semifinal, Turkey defeated Greece by 26 points. After the game, Şengün criticized Giannis’s passing in an interview, to which Giannis responded.

Giannis also complained during a livestream about fans flooding the screen with Turkish flags. After Turkey’s semifinal win over Greece, Şengün posted a controversial message along with a celebration photo: "Does the sea breeze never go your way?" — widely interpreted as a reference to the 1922 "Asia Minor Catastrophe." This comment sparked strong backlash, forcing Şengün’s team to disable comments on their social media. Fans from both teams also clashed after the game.

Besides their joint statement, both stars individually expressed their apologies on social media.

Giannis wrote: "During my livestream, I responded improperly to a disrespectful comment directed at someone. I never intended to offend anyone, and I sincerely apologize. I hold deep love and respect for Turkey and people worldwide. Our parents taught us to always carry full love and respect in our hearts."

Şengün wrote: "The post I made after the game against Greece was a communication mistake. I have the utmost respect for the Greek people and never intended any offense."