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 uniforms of Galatasaray, BOTAŞ, Istanbul University, and Dinamo Kursk in competitions including Türkiye Women's Basketball League, EuroLeague, and EuroCup. Alben also served as captain of the Türkiye Women’s National Basketball Team. After retiring from active play, she 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 become team captain and played a key role in some of the club’s most significant achievements. With the team, she won the 2013–2014 EuroLeague Women championship, the Türkiye Women’s Basketball League title, and the Türkiye Cup, securing triple crown victories; during the same period, the team also won one EuroCup Women title and two Presidential Cups^【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 EuroLeague. After one year in Russia, she returned to her former club, signing a two-plus-one-year contract with Galatasaray on 8 June 2015. In her second stint at Galatasaray, she helped the team win another EuroCup Women title in the 2017–2018 season.

^{Işıl Alben in a 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, Işıl Alben returned for a third time to Galatasaray on 8 July 2022, signing a one-plus-one-year contract^【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 as the General Coordinator of the Galatasaray Women’s Basketball Team.

Işıl Alben appeared in 277 matches for the Türkiye Women’s National Basketball Team and contributed to its international successes^【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 Basketball World Cup.

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

Alben was also selected for Türkiye’s squads at the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics. Due to an injury sustained in 2017, she was unable to play in the 2019 European Championship qualifiers against Estonia and Poland^【7】.

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

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

• EuroLeague Women Champion: 2013–2014 (Galatasaray)
• EuroCup Women Champion: 2008–2009, 2017–2018 (Galatasaray)
• Türkiye Women’s Basketball League Champion: 2013–2014
• Türkiye Cup Champion: 2009–2010, 2010–2011, 2011–2012, 2012–2013, 2013–2014
• Presidential Cup: 2008, 2011
• Russian Cup Champion: 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 founded a basketball academy that provides sports training programs for girls. Following its operations in Istanbul, the academy opened a branch in Ankara in 2020.