Watch: Alperen Sengun's heartwarming gesture brings tears to injured teammate Tari Eason's mom

Modified Mar 10, 2024 18:31 GMT

Houston Rockets v Los Angeles Lakers — Alperen Sengun made Tari Eason's mom emotional after the Rockets' win over the Spurs.

Alperen Sengun had a career night on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs at the Toyota Center. He dedicated his performance and the Houston Rockets win to teammate Tari Eason, who underwent a season-ending surgery. The gesture made Eason's mom emotional on social media.

In his postgame interview, Sengun sent a message to Eason, who was on Instagram live with his mother, Teroya. Mother and son were moved by the Turkish star's gesture as they shared it with their followers.

Eason underwent left leg surgery to repair a lingering issue that has kept him out since Jan. 1. The Rockets tried to rehab the injury, but the pain was difficult to ignore, so they opted for surgery.

The 22-year-old forward is set to return healthy at the start of next season.

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Alperen Sengun dropped a career-high 45 points on Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. Sengun also had 16 rebounds, three assists and a career-high five steals. It was the best game of his young career, helping the Houston Rockets earn a 114-101 win.

Jalen Green contributed 23 points, two rebounds and three assists, while Fred VanVleet added 21 points, 10 assists and four steals. Wembanyama had 10 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and seven blocks for the Spurs.

Sengun has been one of the most improved players in the league this season. He's averaging 21.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game, shooting 53.9% from the field, 29.7% from beyond the arc and 70.7% from the charity stripe.

Also Read: "This is your DPOY, LMAO" - Alperen Sengun dropping 45 points on Victor Wembanyama has NBA fans berating French phenom

Shaquille O'Neal compares Alperen Sengun with Pau Gasol

Sengun is one of the best young players in the NBA this season. He has often been compared with Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings because of their similar size and passing ability.

Despite the comparisons with Jokic and Sabonis, four-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal reckons Sengun reminds him of Pau Gasol. O'Neal applauded him recently on "Inside the NBA" and wants to see him play for the LA Lakers.

"He reminds me of a young Pau Gasol when he first came out," O'Neal said.

"That guy's fundamentally sound. He can do things like this. I really like this guy. I'd like to see him on a better team. If he was on a better team like LA or like a team that has a lot of talent around him, he would definitely do well."