Turkey completed the first stage of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers with a perfect record after earning a convincing 95-72 home victory over Switzerland.
Following the win, head coach Ergin Ataman praised his players before taking aim at Serbia, which was also part of Turkey’s qualifying group.
“As you know, our players in the NBA couldn’t play in the winter window games. Ömer and Sertaç, our two big men, did a very important job in those games, especially in the Serbia win.
The Serbia win is very important. I mean, today the Serbs see themselves at the top of world basketball, but no, they aren’t.”
Ataman also pointed to Turkey’s previous victory over Serbia at the European Championship, noting that Nikola Jokić was part of the Serbian squad.
“We beat Jokic’s team in the European Championship, we knocked out the most favored team with that defeat.
We beat Serbia twice in the group stage, and with 6 wins, we overtook Serbia in the group.
This is a huge success for Turkish basketball. Let them still think they’re at the top, we are the ones at the top.”
Ergin Ataman explained why he believes that the Turkish national team is now a bigger basketball powerhouse than Serbia 🇹🇷 🇷🇸#FIBAWC #StepItUphttps://t.co/G7HfXuhFbL
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) July 7, 2026
