Greek police have contacted the family of NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo after his wife, Mariah Riddlesprigger, received threatening messages from Turkish fans after the EuroBasket 2025 semifinal game between Turkey and Greece.

The incident came to light after the conclusion of EuroBasket, when Riddlesprigger shared on Instagram some of the abusive messages she had received. According to reports, the family is considering legal action and may file a complaint.

In a statement on social media, Riddlesprigger condemned the harassment.

“People in this world are so disappointing! All this over basketball. I hope those making hateful comments and sending disgusting messages to my family are proud of themselves. But since you want to contact me privately, I’ll make sure the world knows who you are publicly! And to all the fans of Turkey, congratulations on your silver medal — you have an amazing team! However, there is no place for this kind of behavior in sports. In fact, there is no place for this kind of behavior, period!!” she wrote.

Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Turkish center Alperen Sengun have moved to put an end to their public spat, a dispute largely fueled by the Houston Rockets player himself.

Sengun sparked controversy after the EuroBasket semifinal between Greece and Turkey, first with remarks about Antetokounmpo and later with social media posts that included references to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and offensive insinuations about the Asia Minor Catastrophe. The posts were locked to prevent comments.

Greek basketball legend Vassilis Spanoulis was the first to respond to Sengun’s comments, but Antetokounmpo took a different approach, consistent with the way he has handled criticism throughout his career. Asked about the incident, he said he preferred not to comment and would let his game speak for itself, urging anyone interested to “check YouTube” to see what he is capable of on the court.

A few days later, the Milwaukee Bucks star took steps to calm tensions further. In an Instagram story, he apologized for an earlier response to a user who had made inflammatory remarks, writing that he has “nothing but respect and love for Turkey and for all people.”