Broken nose aside or like eight broken noses, Ersan Ilyasova is the definition of toughness among the Bucks team. The Turkish born star was the sixth pick, of the second round (36th overall) of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2005. The list of Ersan Ilyasova’s teams is pretty long as he racked up frequent flyer miles.
List of Teams and Years
- Turkey (2003-2005)
- Milwaukee Bucks (2006-2007)
- Spain (2007-2009)
- Milwaukee Bucks (2009-2015)
- Detroit Pistons (2016-2017)
- Orlando Magic (2016)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (2016-2017)
- Philadelphia 76ers (2017-2018)
- Atlanta Hawks (2017-2018)
- Philadelphia 76ers (2018)
- Milwaukee Bucks (2018-present)
Ersan is know as a hustle player who rebounds the ball well, and can shot the three. Averaging about 11 points and six rebounds a game, he’s always been a solid role player. Unfortunately for Ersan, he’s been the subject of many trades in his career.
First Time With the Bucks
Ersan was a rookie in the NBA at age 19, joined the Bucks and played in 66 games. He averaged about six points and three rebounds a game. He looked like he was going to start to turn into an all star before he decided to sign in Spain for two years.
Second Time With the Bucks
Ersan signed back with the Bucks in 2009 after winning a championship in Spain. He had a great few years for the Bucks and even became the third player to ever have a 25 point-25 rebound game for the Bucks when, in 2012, he put up 29 points and 25 points against the Nets. The only other two players to ever do that after Kareem Abdul-Jabber (10 times) and Swen Nater (once). The feat had not been achieved for more than 35 years. Then in 2015 the change started to come rapidly.
Trades That Involved Ersan
From 2015-2017 Ersan was traded from Milwaukee to Detroit to Orlando to Oklahoma City to Philadelphia to Atlanta. Ersan moved so much that trying secure a year long lease would have been hard, much less trying to build chemistry with teammates. Yet no matter what teammates you talked to, most think Ersan was a complete professional and a good leader in the locker room.
Third Time With the Bucks
The Bucks then resigned Ersan Ilyasova in 2018. He is currently on the roster behind Giannis Antetokounmpo as the backup power forward. Ilyasova has had multiple great games filling in for Giannis over the last few season, as not only a starter, but off the bench. Even though Ersan’s playing time has gone down, he still has played a huge part in being a veteran leader on the team.
Recap
While Ersan’s contract and his role on the team is a topic of discussion this off-season, Ersan Ilyasova truly has embodied the toughness culture the Bucks lacked for many years. And while he may have never ended up the All-Star, he has been a really good role player in his career.
More in the Series
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