Ersan İlyasova

Ersan İlyasova (born 15 May 1987)^[1] is a Turkish former professional basketball player. He played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), including 9 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks. He also played in Turkey, Spain and the NBA Development League.

Ersan İlyasova

İlyasova with the Atlanta Hawks in 2017
Personal information
Born	(1987-05-15) 15 May 1987 (age 37) Eskişehir, Turkey
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
NBA draft	2005: 2nd round, 36th overall pick
Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks
Playing career	2003–2021
Position	Power forward
Number	19, 7, 23, 77
Career history
2003–2004	Yeşilyurt
2004–2005	Ülkerspor
2005–2007	Milwaukee Bucks
2005–2006	→Tulsa 66ers
2007–2009	FC Barcelona
2009–2015	Milwaukee Bucks
2011	Anadolu Efes
2015–2016	Detroit Pistons
2016	Orlando Magic
2016	Oklahoma City Thunder
2016–2017	Philadelphia 76ers
2017–2018	Atlanta Hawks
2018	Philadelphia 76ers
2018–2020	Milwaukee Bucks
2021	Utah Jazz
Career highlights and awards
Liga ACB champion (2009) Spanish Supercup champion (2009) FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship MVP (2006) Turkish Cup champion (2005) Albert Schweitzer Tournament MVP (2004)
Career NBA statistics
Points	8,364 (10.1 ppg)
Rebounds	4,661 (5.6 rpg)
Assists	908 (1.1 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals Men's basketball Representing Turkey FIBA World Championship 2010 Turkey

Professional career

Yeşilyurt (2003–2004)

İlyasova played for Yeşilyurt in the Turkish second division league during the 2003–04 season.

Ülkerspor (2004–2005)

İlyasova stepped up to the Turkish Basketball League for the 2004–05 season with Ülkerspor, averaging 4.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in eleven games.^[2]

Milwaukee Bucks (2005–2007)

İlyasova was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 36th overall pick of the 2005 NBA draft. In July 2005, he joined the Bucks for the 2005 NBA Summer League. On 22 August 2005, he signed with the Bucks. On 14 November 2005, he was assigned to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League, an assignment that lasted the entire 2005–06 season.^[3] In 46 games for the 66ers, he averaged 12.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.^[4]

İlyasova made his NBA debut for the Bucks on 1 November 2006 in a 105–97 win over the Detroit Pistons.^[5] In 2006–07, he played 66 games for the Bucks, averaging 6.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. In June 2007, the Bucks tendered a qualifying offer to İlyasova to make him a restricted free agent.

Barcelona (2007–2009)

İlyasova with Barcelona in 2009

On 18 July 2007, İlyasova signed a two-year deal with FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB.^[6] In 2009, he won a championship with Barcelona.

Return to Milwaukee (2009–2011)

In July 2009, İlyasova signed a multi-year deal to return to the Milwaukee Bucks.^[7]

Anadolu Efes (2011)

On 3 August 2011, İlyasova signed with Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketball League for the duration of the NBA lockout.^[8]

Third stint with Milwaukee (2011–2015)

In December 2011, İlyasova returned to the Bucks following the conclusion of the lockout.

On 19 February 2012, İlyasova set new career-highs with 29 points and 25 rebounds against the New Jersey Nets, becoming just the third Bucks player in franchise history to record at least 25 points and 25 rebounds in a game, after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (10 times) and Swen Nater (once). The feat had not been achieved for more than 35 years.^[9] He subsequently earned the Player of the Week award for his performances from March 5–11.

On 12 July 2012, İlyasova re-signed with the Bucks on a multi-year deal.^[10][11]

On 27 March 2014, İlyasova was ruled out for the remainder of the 2013–14 season due to a right ankle injury.^[12]

On 26 March 2015, İlyasova scored a career-high 34 points in a 111–107 win over the Indiana Pacers.^[13]

Detroit Pistons (2015–2016)

On 11 June 2015, İlyasova was traded to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Caron Butler and Shawne Williams.^[14] The move reunited him with Brandon Jennings, who he played with in Milwaukee.^[15] On 27 October he made his debut for the Pistons in a 106–94 win over the Atlanta Hawks, recording 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists and one block in 34 minutes.^[16]

Orlando Magic (2016)

On 16 February 2016, İlyasova was traded to the Orlando Magic, along with Brandon Jennings, in exchange for Tobias Harris.^[17] The next day, he made his debut with the Magic in a 110–104 win over the Dallas Mavericks, recording 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal in 23 minutes.^[18]

Oklahoma City Thunder (2016)

On 23 June 2016, İlyasova was traded, along with Victor Oladipo and the draft rights to Domantas Sabonis, to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Serge Ibaka.^[19] He appeared in three games for the Thunder to begin the 2016–17 season.

Philadelphia 76ers (2016–2017)

On 1 November 2016, İlyasova was traded, along with a conditional first-round pick, to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Jerami Grant.^[20] He made his debut for the 76ers the next day, scoring an equal team-high 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting in a 109–93 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.^[21] On 6 December he had season bests of 23 points and 17 rebounds in a 96–91 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.^[22] He had a second 23-point game on 8 December against the New Orleans Pelicans, and a third 23-point game on 30 December against the Denver Nuggets—both resulting in wins.^[23] On 29 January 2017, he scored a season-high 31 points in a 121–108 loss to the Chicago Bulls.^[24]

Atlanta Hawks (2017–2018)

On 22 February 2017, İlyasova was traded again, this time to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Tiago Splitter, a protected 2017 second-round pick, and the option to swap a second-round pick.^[25]

On 21 July 2017, İlyasova re-signed with the Hawks.^[26] On 26 February 2018, he was waived by the Hawks.^[27]

Return to Philadelphia (2018)

On 28 February 2018, İlyasova signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, returning to the franchise for a second stint.^[28]

Fourth stint with Milwaukee (2018–2020)

On 16 July 2018, İlyasova signed with the Milwaukee Bucks, returning to the franchise for a third stint.^[29] On 16 December 2018, he sustained a fractured nose during practice, which required surgery.^[30]

On 19 November 2020, İlyasova was waived by Milwaukee.^[31]

Utah Jazz (2021)

On 11 March 2021, İlyasova signed with the Utah Jazz for the remainder of the season.^[32] On 17 April, İlyasova logged a season-high 20 points on 7-of-11 field goal shooting and 6-of-8 from three, in addition to five rebounds, four steals and two blocks across 31 minutes in a 115–127 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.^[33][34]

On 22 December 2021, İlyasova signed a 10-day contract with the Chicago Bulls.^[35] İlyasova entered the NBA's health and safety protocols on December 28, and did not play for the team before his contract expired.

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	PIR	Performance Index Rating
Bold	Career high	*	Led the league

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2006–07	Milwaukee	66	14	14.7	.383	.365	.787	2.9	.7	.4	.3	6.1
2009–10	Milwaukee	81	31	23.4	.443	.336	.715	6.4	1.0	.7	.3	10.4
2010–11	Milwaukee	60	34	25.1	.436	.298	.894	6.1	.9	.9	.4	9.5
2011–12	Milwaukee	60	41	27.6	.492	.455	.781	8.8	1.2	.7	.7	13.0
2012–13	Milwaukee	73	54	27.6	.462	.444	.796	7.1	1.6	.9	.5	13.2
2013–14	Milwaukee	55	47	26.9	.409	.282	.823	6.2	1.3	.8	.1	11.2
2014–15	Milwaukee	58	36	22.7	.472	.389	.645	4.8	1.0	.6	.3	11.5
2015–16	Detroit	52	52	27.6	.425	.363	.725	5.4	1.1	.7	.5	11.3
	Orlando	22	4	20.3	.418	.409	.711	5.5	.5	.6	.3	8.1
2016–17	Oklahoma City	3*	0	20.8	.375	.250	.000	5.3	.3	1.0	.3	5.0
	Philadelphia	53*	40	27.3	.440	.359	.768	5.9	1.8	.6	.3	14.8
	Atlanta	26*	12	24.3	.412	.348	.800	5.8	1.6	.8	.3	10.4
2017–18	Atlanta	46	40	25.5	.459	.359	.800	5.5	1.1	1.0	.4	10.9
	Philadelphia	23	3	24.1	.439	.361	.733	6.7	1.7	.7	.4	10.8
2018–19	Milwaukee	67	7	18.4	.438	.363	.824	4.5	.8	.5	.3	6.8
2019–20	Milwaukee	63	8	15.7	.466	.365	.828	4.8	.8	.4	.3	6.6
2020–21	Utah	17	1	8.7	.389	.439	1.000	1.7	.2	.6	.2	3.8
Career		825	424	23.0	.443	.367	.777	5.6	1.1	.7	.4	10.1

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2010	Milwaukee	7	0	22.4	.480	.357	.833	7.6	.4	.7	.1	9.7
2013	Milwaukee	4	4	29.3	.435	.400	1.000	7.3	1.8	1.3	.3	11.5
2015	Milwaukee	6	6	23.7	.328	.217	.700	3.8	.5	.8	.5	8.7
2017	Atlanta	6	0	15.0	.348	.200	.778	5.2	.3	.2	.0	4.0
2018	Philadelphia	10	1	23.3	.429	.290	.571	7.6	1.3	.7	.4	9.3
2019	Milwaukee	15	0	18.1	.432	.300	.800	4.7	1.4	.7	.4	6.8
2020	Milwaukee	3	0	7.7	.333	.200	1.000	1.3	.0	.7	.0	3.0
2021	Utah	1	0	3.0	.500	.000	1.000	.0	.0	.0	.0	4.0
Career		52	11	19.9	.413	.287	.753	5.5	.9	.7	.3	7.7

EuroLeague

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG	PIR
2004–05	Ülkerspor	6	0	4.8	.267	.111	.500	.5	.0	.0	.0	1.7	- 1.0
2007–08	FC Barcelona	22	8	18.1	.379	.241	.538	4.7	.7	.8	1.1	6.1	7.1
2008–09	FC Barcelona	22	15	20.8	.457	.403	.816	7.0	.8	.5	.6	10.5	13.0
2011–12	Anadolu Efes	8	8	20.7	.482	.353	.593	5.5	.9	1.5	1.5	9.5	13.6
Career		58	31	18.1	.426	.323	.667	5.2	.7	.7	.8	7.8	9.4

National team career

İlyasova (right) with Turkey in September 2010

Before playing for the senior Turkey national basketball team, İlyasova was named the MVP of the 2006 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, after leading Turkey's junior national team to a silver medal in İzmir.^[36] İlyasova has since represented Turkey at the 2006 FIBA World Championship, EuroBasket 2007, EuroBasket 2009, 2010 FIBA World Championship, EuroBasket 2011, EuroBasket 2013 and EuroBasket 2015.^[37]

Personal life

İlyasova is the son of Crimean Tatar parents Anvar and Iraliye İlyasova.^[38] He is married to Julia, who was born in Belarus. They have two daughters and one son, all born in Milwaukee.^[39] İlyasova is Muslim.^[40]

Citizenship and age

Since the 2003 Turkish Junior Basketball Championship held in Konya, there has been some controversy to İlyasova's age and national origin.^[41] The controversy is fueled by the claim that a man named Arsen Ilyasov, born in 1984 in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, entered Turkey as an 18-year-old on 7 August 2002 and was never heard from again, while on 19 September 2002, a man named Semsettin Bulut claimed to have forgotten to register the birth of his now 15-year-old son, and did so as Ersan İlyasova, a Turkish citizen.^[42][43] This claim, that İlyasova is actually Ilyasov and should be an Uzbek player, was officially put forth by the Uzbekistan Basketball Federation in a grievance, but FIBA ruled in the Turkish Basketball Federation's favor.^[39] While this controversy was brewing, ESPN's Chad Ford referred to Ilyasova as "The 17-year-old forward from Uzbekistan is widely considered the best prospect to ever come out of Turkey."^[44] Other biographies, while not claiming an Uzbek birth, still maintain a 1984 birth year.^[45][46]

References

1. "Ersan Ilyasova Stats, Video, Bio, Profile". NBA.com. Retrieved July 18, 2007.
2. "Ersan Ilyasova – Turkish Basketball League Player". TBLStat.net. Retrieved July 18, 2007.
3. "Milwaukee Bucks send Ersan Ilyasova to D-League". InsideHoops.com. November 14, 2005. Retrieved July 18, 2007.
4. "Ersan Ilyasova D-League Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 28, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2007.
5. "Milwaukee Bucks at Detroit Pistons Box Score, November 1, 2006". Basketball-Reference.com. November 1, 2006. Retrieved November 1, 2006.
6. "AXA FC Barcelona lands Ilyasova". Euroleague.net. July 18, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2007.
7. "BUCKS REACH AGREEMENT WITH ILYASOVA". NBA.com. July 23, 2009. Archived from the original on July 27, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
8. "Anadolu Efes officially announces Ersan Ilyasova". Sportando.com. August 3, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
9. "Ersan Ilyasova, Bucks spoil Brook Lopez's season debut for Nets". ESPN.com. February 20, 2012. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
10. "Bucks Re-Sign Ersan Ilyasova". NBA.com. July 12, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
11. "Bucks re-sign forward Ersan Ilyasova". ESPN.com. July 12, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
12. Golliver, Ben (March 27, 2014). "Bucks' Ersan Ilyasova out for season with ankle injury". SI.com. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
13. "Ilyasova scores 34 points, Bucks beat Pacers 111-107". NBA.com. March 26, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
14. "Pistons Acquire Forward Ersan Ilyasova From Milwaukee In Exchange For Caron Butler And Shawne Williams". NBA.com. June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
15. Brunskowski, Jason (June 12, 2015). "Jennings and Ilyasova reunited in Detroit". DetroitBadBoys.com. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
16. "Pistons surprise Hawks on opening night, winning 106-94". NBA.com. October 27, 2015. Archived from the original on October 28, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
17. "Magic Acquire Jennings and Ilyasova From Pistons in Exchange for Harris". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 16, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
18. "Mavs set franchise best for 3s but lose to Magic in OT". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 19, 2016. Archived from the original on February 19, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
19. "Thunder Acquires Oladipo, Ilyasova and Draft Rights to Sabonis". NBA.com. June 23, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
20. "Sixers Acquire Ilyasova, First-Round Pick from OKC". NBA.com. November 1, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
21. "Batum breaks out, leads Hornets past 76ers 109-93". ESPN.com. November 2, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
22. "Gasol has 26 points, 12 boards to lead Grizzlies past Sixers". ESPN.com. December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
23. "Ersan Ilyasova 2016-17 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
24. "Butler, Lopez lead Bulls to 121-108 win over 76ers". ESPN.com. January 29, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
25. "Sixers Acquire Draft Pick Considerations, Splitter from Atlanta". NBA.com. February 22, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
26. "Hawks Re-Sign Ersan Ilyasova". NBA.com. July 21, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
27. "Hawks Waive Ersan Ilyasova". NBA.com. February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
28. "Philadelphia 76ers Sign Forward Ersan Ilyasova". NBA.com. February 28, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
29. "Milwaukee Bucks Sign Ersan Ilyasova". NBA.com. July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
30. "Medical Update on Ersan Ilyasova". NBA.com. December 21, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
31. "Milwaukee Bucks Requested Waivers On Ersan Ilyasova". NBA.com. November 19, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
32. "Utah Jazz sign Ersan Ilyasova". NBA.com. March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
33. "Jazz's Ersan Ilyasova: Scores season-high 20 points". CBSSports.com. April 17, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
34. "Lakers hold off NBA-leading Jazz 127-115 in OT". ESPN.com. April 17, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
35. Adams, Luke (December 22, 2021). "Bulls Sign Ersan Ilyasova Via Hardship Exception". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
36. Fernández, Luis (September 22, 2006). "A Look Back At The U-20 European Championships (Part Two)". DraftExpress.com. Retrieved September 22, 2006.
37. "Ersan Ilyasova profile, EuroBasket 2015 - FIBA.COM". Retrieved January 22, 2017.
38. "Life history of Crimean Tatar basketball player". QHA.com.ua. September 23, 2009. Archived from the original on May 21, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
39. "Is Ilyasova A Turkish Name?". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. July 13, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
40. Spears, Marc J. (October 17, 2017). "Being Muslim in the NBA". Andscape. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
41. "SPORTS - Ulker implicated in Ilyasova scandal". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
42. "DraftExpress: Ersan Ilyasova, the Turkish pearl". DraftExpress.com. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
43. "The Don Draper of the NBA: Does Ersan İlyasova Really Exist?". The Scorecrow. May 31, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
44. "Ford: Turkey, Day One". ESPN.com. May 5, 2005. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
45. "Life history of Crimean Tatar basketball player". Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
46. "Life history of Crimean Tatar basketball player - Crimean News Agency". qha.com.ua. Archived from the original on February 20, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2018.

External links

• Career statistics from NBA.com and Basketball Reference
• İlyasova's official website
• Milwaukee Bucks bio
• Euroleague.net profile
• TBLStat.net profile