Ersan İlyasova (born 15 May 1987) is a Turkish professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player who last played for the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference, Northwest Division. Since the 1991–92 season, ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA). He has previously played in Turkey, Spain and the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

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 Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and ...

for the 2004–05 season with Ülkerspor, averaging 4.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in eleven games.

Milwaukee Bucks (2005–2007)

İlyasova was selected by the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

with the 36th overall pick of the

2005 NBA draft The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players fro ...

. In July 2005, he joined the Bucks for the 2005

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season competition organized by the National Basketball Association. NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups ...

. On 22 August 2005, he signed with the Bucks. On 14 November 2005, he was assigned to the

Tulsa 66ers Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

of the

, an assignment that lasted the entire 2005–06 season. In 46 games for the 66ers, he averaged 12.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. İlyasova made his NBA debut for the Bucks on 1 November 2006 in a 105–97 win over the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

. 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)

On 18 July 2007, İlyasova signed a two-year deal with

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional Football team, football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish footb ...

of the Liga ACB. In

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, 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.

Anadolu Efes (2011)

On 3 August 2011, İlyasova signed with Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketball League for the duration of the

NBA lockout The NBA lockout may refer to any of the four lockouts in the history of the National Basketball Association: *The 1995 NBA lockout, which lasted for three months before the 1995–96 season. *The 1996 NBA lockout, which lasted for a couple of hou ...

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 New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

, 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 Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim ...

(10 times) and Swen Nater (once). The feat had not been achieved for more than 35 years. 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. On 27 March 2014, İlyasova was ruled out for the remainder of the 2013–14 season due to a right ankle injury. On 26 March 2015, İlyasova scored a career-high 34 points in a 111–107 win over the Indiana Pacers.

Detroit Pistons (2015–2016)

On 11 June 2015, İlyasova was traded to the

in exchange for

Caron Butler James Caron Butler (born March 13, 1980) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During a 14-year career he played for the Miami ...

and Shawne Williams. The move reunited him with Brandon Jennings, who he played with in Milwaukee. On 27 October he made his debut for the Pistons in a 106–94 win over the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

, recording 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists and one block in 34 minutes.

Orlando Magic (2016)

On 16 February 2016, İlyasova was traded to the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was estab ...

, along with Brandon Jennings, in exchange for

Tobias Harris Tobias John Harris (born July 15, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers before declarin ...

. The next day, he made his debut with the Magic in a 110–104 win over the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. The ...

, recording 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal in 23 minutes.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2016)

On 23 June 2016, İlyasova was traded, along with Victor Oladipo and the draft rights to

Domantas Sabonis Domantas Sabonis (; born May 3, 1996) is a Lithuanian-American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a two-time NBA All-Star. Sabonis started his career in Spain with U ...

, to the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

in exchange for

Serge Ibaka Serge Jonás Ibaka Ngobila (; born 18 September 1989) is a Congolese-Spanish professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Ibaka was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 24th over ...

. 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 The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

in exchange for Jerami Grant. 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 The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

. On 6 December he had season bests of 23 points and 17 rebounds in a 96–91 loss to the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

. He had a second 23-point game on 8 December against the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their home ...

, and a third 23-point game on 30 December against the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

—both resulting in wins. On 29 January 2017, he scored a season-high 31 points in a 121–108 loss to the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on Januar ...

Atlanta Hawks (2017–2018)

On 22 February 2017, İlyasova was traded again, this time to the

in exchange for

Tiago Splitter Tiago Splitter Beims (born January 1, 1985) is a Brazilian former professional basketball player who played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently serving as player development coach for the Brooklyn Nets. A ...

, a protected 2017 second-round pick, and the option to swap a second-round pick. On 21 July 2017, İlyasova re-signed with the Hawks. On 26 February 2018, he was waived by the Hawks.

Return to Philadelphia (2018)

On 28 February 2018, İlyasova signed with the

, returning to the franchise for a second stint.

Fourth stint with Milwaukee (2018–2020)

On 16 July 2018, İlyasova signed with the

, returning to the franchise for a third stint. On 16 December 2018, he sustained a fractured nose during practice, which required surgery. On 19 November 2020, İlyasova was waived by Milwaukee.

Utah Jazz (2021)

On 11 March 2021, İlyasova signed with the

for the remainder of the season. 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. On 22 December 2021, İlyasova signed a 10-day contract with the

. 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

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, 66 , , 14 , , 14.7 , , .383 , , .365 , , .787 , , 2.9 , , .7 , , .4 , , .3 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 31 , , 23.4 , , .443 , , .336 , , .715 , , 6.4 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , .3 , , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 60 , , 34 , , 25.1 , , .436 , , .298 , , .894 , , 6.1 , , .9 , , .9 , , .4 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 60 , , 41 , , 27.6 , , .492 , , .455 , , .781 , , 8.8 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , .7 , , 13.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , 54 , , 27.6 , , .462 , , .444 , , .796 , , 7.1 , , 1.6 , , .9 , , .5 , , 13.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 55 , , 47 , , 26.9 , , .409 , , .282 , , .823 , , 6.2 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .1 , , 11.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 58 , , 36 , , 22.7 , , .472 , , .389 , , .645 , , 4.8 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .3 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, 52 , , 52 , , 27.6 , , .425 , , .363 , , .725 , , 5.4 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , .5 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures r ...

, 22 , , 4 , , 20.3 , , .418 , , .409 , , .711 , , 5.5 , , .5 , , .6 , , .3 , , 8.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, an ...

, 3 , , 0 , , 20.8 , , .375 , , .250 , , .000 , , 5.3 , , .3 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 53 , , 40 , , 27.3 , , .440 , , .359 , , .768 , , 5.9 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .3 , , 14.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, 26 , , 12 , , 24.3 , , .412 , , .348 , , .800 , , 5.8 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , .3 , , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 46 , , 40 , , 25.5 , , .459 , , .359 , , .800 , , 5.5 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 23 , , 3 , , 24.1 , , .439 , , .361 , , .733 , , 6.7 , , 1.7 , , .7 , , .4 , , 10.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 67 , , 7 , , 18.4 , , .438 , , .363 , , .824 , , 4.5 , , .8 , , .5 , , .3 , , 6.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 63 , , 8 , , 15.7 , , .466 , , .365 , , .828 , , 4.8 , , .8 , , .4 , , .3 , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

, 17 , , 1 , , 8.7 , , .389 , , .439 , , 1.000 , , 1.7 , , .2 , , .6 , , .2 , , 3.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 825 , , 424 , , 23.0 , , .443 , , .367 , , .777 , , 5.6 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , .4 , , 10.1

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , 0 , , 22.4 , , .480 , , .357 , , .833 , , 7.6 , , .4 , , .7 , , .1 , , 9.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 29.3 , , .435 , , .400 , , 1.000 , , 7.3 , , 1.8 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 6 , , 23.7 , , .328 , , .217 , , .700 , , 3.8 , , .5 , , .8 , , .5 , , 8.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 0 , , 15.0 , , .348 , , .200 , , .778 , , 5.2 , , .3 , , .2 , , .0 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 10 , , 1 , , 23.3 , , .429 , , .290 , , .571 , , 7.6 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , .4 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 15 , , 0 , , 18.1 , , .432 , , .300 , , .800 , , 4.7 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .4 , , 6.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 0 , , 7.7 , , .333 , , .200 , , 1.000 , , 1.3 , , .0 , , .7 , , .0 , , 3.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 1 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , .500 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 4.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 52 , , 11 , , 19.9 , , .413 , , .287 , , .753 , , 5.5 , , .9 , , .7 , , .3 , , 7.7

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2004–05 , style="text-align:left;", Ülkerspor , 6 , , 0 , , 4.8 , , .267 , , .111 , , .500 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.7 , , - 1.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , style="text-align:left;",

, 22 , , 8 , , 18.1 , , .379 , , .241 , , .538 , , 4.7 , , .7 , , .8 , , 1.1 , , 6.1 , , 7.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2008–09 , style="text-align:left;", FC Barcelona , 22 , , 15 , , 20.8 , , .457 , , .403 , , .816 , , 7.0 , , .8 , , .5 , , .6 , , 10.5 , , 13.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;", Anadolu Efes , 8 , , 8 , , 20.7 , , .482 , , .353 , , .593 , , 5.5 , , .9 , , 1.5 , , 1.5 , , 9.5 , , 13.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 58 , , 31 , , 18.1 , , .426 , , .323 , , .667 , , 5.2 , , .7 , , .7 , , .8 , , 7.8 , , 9.4

National team career

Before playing for the senior

Turkey national basketball team The Turkey men's national basketball team ( tr, Türkiye Millî Basketbol Takımı) represents Turkey in international basketball tournaments. They are governed by the Turkish Basketball Federation. Their nickname is the ''12 Dev Adam'', meani ...

, İlyasova was named the MVP of the

2006 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship The 2006 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship was the ninth edition of the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. The city of İzmir, in Turkey, hosted the tournament. Serbia and Montenegro won their second title, the first one with that name (they won th ...

, after leading Turkey's junior national team to a silver medal in

İzmir İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban aggl ...

. İlyasova has since represented Turkey at the

2006 FIBA World Championship The 2006 FIBA World Championship was the 15th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Japan and held from 19 August to 3 September 2006. It was co-organised ...

EuroBasket 2007 The 2007 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2007, was the 35th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2008 Summer Olympics, giving a berth to ...

EuroBasket 2009 The 2009 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2009, was the 36th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Poland, began on 7 September and concluded with the ...

2010 FIBA World Championship The 2010 FIBA World Championship was the 16th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from 28 August to 12 September 2010. It was co-organised by the Inte ...

EuroBasket 2011 EuroBasket 2011 was the 37th men's European Basketball Championship, held by FIBA Europe. The competition was hosted by Lithuania. This was the second time EuroBasket had been held in Lithuania, the country having also hosted the 1939 cha ...

EuroBasket 2013 EuroBasket 2013 was the 38th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It took place from 4 September until 22 September 2013 in Slovenia. The number of participating teams was 24. France defeated Lithuania in t ...

and

EuroBasket 2015 EuroBasket 2015 was the 39th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It was co-hosted by Croatia, France, Germany, and Latvia, making it the first EuroBasket held in more than one country. It started on 5 Sept ...

Personal life

İlyasova is the son of Crimean Tatar parents Anvar and Iraliye İlyasova. He is married to Julia, who was born in

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

. They have two daughters and one son, all born in

. İlyasova is Muslim.

Citizenship and age

Since the 2003 Turkish Junior Basketball Championship held in

Konya Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it D ...

, there has been some controversy to İlyasova's age and national origin. The controversy is fueled by the claim that a man named Arsen Ilyasov, born in 1984 in

Bukhara Bukhara (Uzbek language, Uzbek: /, ; tg, Бухоро, ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan, with a population of 280,187 , and the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara ...

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...

, 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. This claim, that İlyasova is actually Ilyasov and should be an Uzbek player, was officially put forth by the

Uzbekistan Basketball Federation The Uzbekistan national basketball team is the national basketball team of the Uzbekistan and is governed by the Uzbekistan Basketball Federation. The team had its best years between the mid-90s and the mid-2000s when it regularly qualified for ...

in a grievance, but

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its nam ...

ruled in the

Turkish Basketball Federation The Turkish Basketball Federation ( tr, Türkiye Basketbol Federasyonu, TBF) is the national federation for basketball in Turkey. It is headquartered in Istanbul. They organize the Basketball Super League, the Turkish Basketball Cup and the Tur ...

's favor. While this controversy was brewing,

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

Chad Ford Chad Ford (born 1971) is an associate professor at Brigham Young University – Hawaii (BYUH). He is director of the university's McKay Center and is known for his study of conflict resolution with an emphasis on large group ethnic and religious ...

referred to Ilyasova as "The 17-year-old forward from Uzbekistan is widely considered the best prospect to ever come out of Turkey." Other biographies, while not claiming an Uzbek birth, still maintain a 1984 birth year.

References

External links

İlyasova's official website

Milwaukee Bucks bio

Euroleague.net profile

TBLStat.net profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilyasova, Ersan 1987 births Living people 2006 FIBA World Championship players 2010 FIBA World Championship players 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Anadolu Efes S.K. players Atlanta Hawks players Detroit Pistons players FC Barcelona Bàsquet players Liga ACB players Milwaukee Bucks draft picks Milwaukee Bucks players National Basketball Association players from Turkey Oklahoma City Thunder players Orlando Magic players Philadelphia 76ers players Power forwards (basketball) Small forwards Sportspeople from Eskişehir Tulsa 66ers players Turkish expatriate basketball people in Spain Turkish expatriate basketball people in the United States Turkish men's basketball players Turkish people of Crimean Tatar descent Ülker G.S.K. basketball players Utah Jazz players