Işıl Alben (born 22 February 1986, Istanbul) is a former Turkish basketball player and sports administrator who played as a point guard. Throughout her career, she wore the jerseys of Galatasaray, BOTAŞ, Istanbul University, and Dinamo Kursk in the Turkish Women's Basketball League, EuroLeague, and EuroCup competitions. Alben also served as captain of the Turkey Women’s National Basketball Team and, after retiring from active play, began working as the General Coordinator of the Galatasaray Women’s Basketball Team.

^{Işıl Alben} (AA)

Işıl Alben began her basketball career in 1998 with the youth system of Istanbul University, where she played for eight seasons before transferring to BOTAŞ in 2006^【1】. After one season with the capital club, she joined Galatasaray ahead of the 2007–2008 season.

During her first period with Galatasaray (2007–2014), Alben rose to team captain and played a key role in some of the club’s most significant achievements. During this time, she helped the team win the EuroLeague Women championship, the Turkish Women’s Basketball League title, and the Turkish Cup, securing triple crown success in the 2013–2014 season; she also won one EuroCup Women title and two Presidential Cups during the same period^【2】.

At the start of the 2014–2015 season, Işıl Alben signed with Dinamo Kursk of the Russian Premier League. During her single season there, she won the Russian Cup and finished third in the Russian League. She also helped her team achieve third place in the EuroLeague. After one year in Russia, on 8 June 2015, she returned to her former club by signing a two-plus-one-year contract with Galatasaray. In her second stint at Galatasaray, she helped the team win another EuroCup Women title in the 2017–2018 season.

^{Işıl Alben at BOTAŞ Match} (AA)

At the end of the 2019–2020 season, contract renewal negotiations between Işıl Alben and Galatasaray Sports Club ended without agreement. As a result, Alben announced her departure from the club on 15 June 2020 and transferred to BOTAŞ Spor Kulübü, the club where she began her professional career. During her time with BOTAŞ from 2020 to 2022, she played alongside national team teammates Ayşe Cora, Bahar Çağlar, and Tilbe Şenyürek^【3】.

After two seasons with BOTAŞ, on 8 July 2022, Işıl Alben signed a one-plus-one-year contract with Galatasaray, returning for a third time to the yellow-and-red team^【4】. She completed the 2022–2023 season with Galatasaray Çağdaş Faktoring and announced her retirement from active playing on 9 June 2023^【5】. Following her retirement, she was appointed General Coordinator of the Galatasaray Women’s Basketball Team.

Işıl Alben appeared in 277 matches for the Turkey Women’s National Basketball Team and contributed to its successes in international tournaments^【6】. She was part of the squad that won silver at the 2011 European Basketball Championship and bronze at the 2013 European Basketball Championship. She also helped the team finish fourth at the 2014 FIBA Women’s World Championship.

^{Işıl Alben in National Team Jersey} (AA)

Alben was also part of Turkey’s squads for the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics. Due to an injury sustained in 2017, she did not play in the Estonia and Poland matches during the 2019 European Championship qualifiers^【7】.

According to data from the Turkish Basketball Federation, Işıl Alben’s overall statistics in the Turkish Women’s Basketball Super League (KBSL) are as follows:

^{Işıl Alben - KBSL statistics from 2010 to 2023} (TBF)

• EuroLeague Women Championship: 2013–2014 (Galatasaray)
• EuroCup Women Championship: 2008–2009, 2017–2018 (Galatasaray)
• Turkish Women’s Basketball League Championship: 2013–2014
• Turkish Cup Championship: 2009–2010, 2010–2011, 2011–2012, 2012–2013, 2013–2014
• Presidential Cup: 2008, 2011
• Russian Cup Championship: 2014–2015 (Dinamo Kursk)
• EuroBasket Silver Medal: 2011 (National Team)
• EuroBasket Bronze Medal: 2013 (National Team)

In addition to her professional basketball career, Işıl Alben has been active in sports education. Alongside her partner Mihriban Oğuz, she runs a basketball academy that provides sports training for girls. After beginning operations in Istanbul, the academy opened a branch in Ankara in 2020.