Ersan İlyasova

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Ersan İlyasova (born May 15, 1987 in Eskişehir, Turkey) is a professional basketball player currently with the Milwaukee Bucks.

He was drafted by the Bucks in the second round (36th overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft and signed a two-year contract with them on August 23, 2005. İlyasova did not play in an NBA game during the 2005-2006 season. He was instead assigned to the Bucks D-League team, the Tulsa 66ers, where he played 46 games and averaged 12.5 points and 7.0 rebounds. This gave him a chance to get experience and the feel of playing in America.

İlyasova played professionally in Turkey for Ulkerspor before he was chosen for the Turkish national team. On July 23, 2006, he was named MVP of the U20 European Championship after leading his team to a silver medal in Izmir, Turkey.

Prior to being drafted, rumors circulated that İlyasova was actually born in 1984. This was the result of a complaint filed to FIBA by the Uzbek Basketball Federation. They alleged that İlyasova was really an Uzbek named Arsen Ilyasov who was born in 1984 and entered Turkey under false pretenses in 2002. However, FIBA ruled in favor of Turkey and İlyasova continues to play under the restrictions of a 1987 birth date [1].