{"id":1908626,"date":"2026-04-29T09:30:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T06:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1908626"},"modified":"2026-04-29T09:30:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T06:30:21","slug":"the-wizarding-world-of-alperen-sengun-the-nbas-biggest-harry-potter-fan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1908626","title":{"rendered":"The Wizarding World of Alperen \u015eeng\u00fcn, the NBA\u2019s biggest Harry Potter fan"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 Which house are you, Alpi?<\/em><\/p>\n

In November, the Rockets were at shootaround at Chase Center when a Houston staff member posed the classic Harry Potter question to Alperen \u015eeng\u00fcn, the team\u2019s two-time All-Star center \u2014 who also happens to be quite possibly the NBA\u2019s biggest Potter fan.<\/p>\n

\u201cGryffindor,\u201d the 6-foot-11 \u015eeng\u00fcn responded, referring to one of the four houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. (Naturally, Gryffindor is the house that claims Potter himself.)<\/p>\n

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But \u015eeng\u00fcn\u2019s real-life house also features a monument to the beloved books and film series, a Room of Requirement, if you will.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a Harry Potter room, but now I\u2019m, like, building one,\u201d \u015eeng\u00fcn said during that November conversation, referring to expanding upon a previous iteration in his new Houston-area home. \u201cI\u2019m painting the room in Harry Potter everything right now. It\u2019s gonna be really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

As \u015eeng\u00fcn happily described his love for all things Harry Potter, he pulled out his cell phone to offer further proof. He showed a text to his girlfriend, Hannah, with a suggestion: We should start Harry Potter again.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hannah agreed to the eight-film rewatch (the fifth, \u201cHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,\u201d is his favorite<\/a>) because, as \u015eeng\u00fcn put it, \u201cshe\u2019s always open to movie nights,\u201d but the Rockets staffer had a different follow-up question.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s fine with having a Harry Potter room?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, hell yeah,\u201d \u015eeng\u00fcn responded.<\/p>\n

To fill that room, Sengun collects memorabilia from the Potterverse. He doesn\u2019t want to reveal exactly what he has, but he leaves open the kind of possibilities that any Potter fan would appreciate. The Sword of Gryffindor, some Nimbus 2000s and a few Firebolts? Everything, it seems, is on the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a lot of stuff,\u201d \u015eeng\u00fcn said. \u201cI have the sword, the mask, the cap. Whatever you think of, I have \u2026 all those he has in the movie, I have in my house.\u201d<\/p>\n

Months later, with the NBA playoffs underway and \u015eeng\u00fcn trying to help his Rockets claw out of a 3-1 hole against the Los Angeles Lakers, that shootaround exchange now lands a little differently. The All-Star big man has become one of this franchise\u2019s central figures \u2014 a young star whose mix of imagination and craft gives Houston a chance to believe it\u2019s not over yet.<\/p>\n

When asked specifically what he loves about Harry Potter, \u015eeng\u00fcn responded quickly: \u201cThe magic. The magic.\u201d<\/p>\n

And right now, the Rockets could use a double dose of that.<\/p>\n

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If there is magic in the Rockets\u2019 rise in recent seasons, look no further than \u015eeng\u00fcn.<\/p>\n

He helped elevate Houston into the fifth seed in the Western Conference, averaging 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 72 regular-season games. But this year\u2019s first-round series \u2014 in which he\u2019s both struggled badly<\/a> and played the hero at times \u2014 have offered another reminder about Sengun\u2019s ability as he\u2019s averaged 22.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists, giving the Rockets a needed offensive lift without injured star Kevin Durant on the floor.<\/p>\n

\u015eeng\u00fcn\u2019s fascination with magic \u2014 he uses the term nine times over a brief interview \u2014 feels fitting for a player whose game often looks conjured. And he draws a parallel between his day job and his favorite passion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI watch a lot of movies, but I\u2019m a magical guy, too,\u201d \u015eeng\u00fcn said. \u201cI dream about a lot of stuff. And they\u2019re all magical, so I kind of like magical, not-gonna-happen stuff \u2026 that\u2019s how I became a Harry Potter fan.\u201d<\/p>\n

It all makes sense. \u015eeng\u00fcn first got into the movies when he was 12 or 13 years old \u2014 around the time he made the incredibly difficult decision to leave his family behind<\/a> in Giresun, Turkey to pursue his basketball dream.<\/p>\n

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What You Should Read Next<\/div>\n
\n \"Alperen<\/p>\n
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\n Alperen \u015eeng\u00fcn carried his family\u2019s dreams for years. Can he carry the Rockets?\n <\/div>\n
\n Growing up in Turkey, this is what \u015eeng\u00fcn dreamed of \u2014 facing LeBron James in the playoffs. Have his struggles molded him for the moment?\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u201cAll my life was like dreaming about something,\u201d \u015eeng\u00fcn said of his professional pursuit. \u201cAnd that (Harry Potter) stuff is about magic and \u2018anything can happen,\u2019 so I think that\u2019s what I like the most.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now a pro, he has made several trips to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort, each one offering a chance to post on social media or buy more memorabilia for his collection. (\u201cI already have a lot of stuff,\u201d \u015eeng\u00fcn said. \u201cBut if I keep seeing it, I\u2019m gonna keep buying it.\u201d) He dressed up as Potter for Halloween<\/a> prior to a late October game in 2023. And he once said that he has considered a Harry Potter tattoo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Alperen S\u0327engu\u0308n (@alperen.sengun)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The movies, even on repeat, offer a sense of peace. But for being so passionate about the characters and the films, he still has not read the book series.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI never had the time,\u201d \u015eeng\u00fcn said. \u201cBut I\u2019m going to read the books. I started one time, and then I couldn\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maybe future team flights will offer the chance to do so \u2014 or perhaps bonding with a fellow NBA player over a shared love of the series. New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Poole once dressed up in a Ravenclaw pregame outfit, while Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson has also visited the Universal park. Just don\u2019t expect Rockets guard Reed Sheppard to be the one to debate him on houses or wand lore.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever talked to him about Harry Potter,\u201d Sheppard said with a chuckle. \u201cI\u2019m not big into Harry Potter, so that could be why it\u2019s never got brought up \u2026 (but) Alpi\u2019s himself. He doesn\u2019t hide anything. He\u2019s a good dude \u2026 smiles a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

While \u015eeng\u00fcn is an admitted super fan who plans trips and decorates rooms around his Harry Potter fandom, he still doesn\u2019t think he belongs in the upper tier of Potter acolytes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are some crazy fans,\u201d \u015eeng\u00fcn said. \u201cI\u2019m making the room, it looks cool. I like it, too. I lay down with my dogs \u2026 I follow a lot of Harry Potter fans, what they buy, how they make their room and everything. Those people are crazy. I\u2019m not that crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Five months after first discussing the room project, \u015eeng\u00fcn was asked about the final result as he wrapped up another shootaround in San Francisco.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe room finished well,\u201d \u015eeng\u00fcn said, wearing the smile of a man satisfied with his choices. \u201cI think everything is perfect right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Building it became a bonding experience for \u015eeng\u00fcn and Hannah, and he said she was pleased, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just looks pretty, really pretty,\u201d he said. \u201cEven if you\u2019re not a Harry Potter fan, I think you would like the room. It\u2019s just a cute room.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is like a magic room.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 Which house are you, Alpi? In November, the Rockets were at shootaround at Chase Center when a Houston staff member posed the classic Harry Potter question to Alperen \u015eeng\u00fcn, the team\u2019s two-time All-Star center \u2014 who also happens to be quite possibly the NBA\u2019s biggest Potter fan. \u201cGryffindor,\u201d the 6-foot-11 \u015eeng\u00fcn responded, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1908626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1908626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1908626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1908626\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1908626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1908626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1908626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}