Ercan Osmani could not have chosen a better moment to deliver the performance of his career. The 27-year-old center rose to the occasion in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Semi-Finals, producing a record-setting 28 points to lead Türkiye to a resounding 94-68 victory over Greece and secure a place in the championship game against Germany.
Osmani etched his name into Turkish basketball history with this display. His 28 points set a new benchmark for the most ever scored by a Turkish player in a EuroBasket knockout game.
On top of that, his six made three-pointers tied the record for the most in a EuroBasket semifinal in the past 30 years – equaling the feats of Milos Teodosic for Serbia in 2009 and Alexey Shved for Russia in 2017.
“I am very happy that I contributed very well for this team,” said Osmani after the win. Along with his career-high scoring output, he also added six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block, making his all-around impact undeniable.
Interestingly, Greece’s defensive game plan appeared to underestimate Osmani’s perimeter shooting. Despite the fact that he had been converting three-pointers at a 50 percent rate on 3.1 attempts per game heading into the semifinal, the Greeks opted to sag off and leave him space.
Osmani immediately made them pay, scoring 11 points in the opening five minutes while knocking down his first three long-range attempts. His teammates and coach had nothing but praise for him afterward.
“He made it rain. I am really happy for him because he is working hard. We believe in him. That is what we were expecting from him,” Furkan Korkmaz said, underlining the trust the squad has in Osmani’s abilities.
For Shane Larkin, who has shared a club jersey with Osmani at Anadolu Efes Istanbul, the explosion was no surprise.
“Ercan is an unbelievable player. He’s been on my team for a few years at Efes, and I have been saying for many years that he has a lot of quality. For him to be able to put on a performance like that on the world stage in front of all the media and everything I am extremely happy for him,” Larkin explained.
Head coach Ergin Ataman also lauded Osmani’s performance, highlighting both his offensive rhythm and his defensive resilience against Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“Ercan found his open space and he made his first shot and that gave him confidence. That opened the court,” Ataman noted, referring to Osmani’s early burst of points.
He added with a smile: “Osmani played great defense about Giannis,” even joking that NBA teams might start calling to sign Osmani as a Giannis-stopper.
Before this breakout, Osmani’s highest scoring game for Türkiye had been 17 points, achieved during a EuroBasket 2025 Qualifier against Hungary in November 2024.
In the semifinal, he had already surpassed that mark by halftime, heading to the locker room with 18 points in just 20 minutes of play.
This performance caps what has been Osmani’s most productive summer in national team colors. He came into the tournament after averaging 9.8 points and 5.0 rebounds across six qualifiers, and in Riga he has raised his game, now averaging 12.6 points and 5.4 rebounds.
Highlights of his campaign include a 16-point outing against Czechia and a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds in a key win over Estonia.
Osmani has undeniably emerged as one of Türkiye’s revelations of EuroBasket 2025. Having dominated the semifinal on both ends of the floor, the question now lingers: what does he have left in store for the Final?
Ercan Osmani etched his name in Turkish basketball history with a performance for the ages 🇹🇷 https://t.co/cpeMNeHvZL
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 12, 2025
