The Milwaukee Bucks have signed forward Ersan Ilyasova.
Ilyasova, a 10-year NBA veteran who was originally selected by the Bucks with the 36th pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, finished the 2017-18 season with the Philadelphia 76ers after starting the season with the Atlanta Hawks. In 23 games (three starts) with the 76ers, Ilyasova averaged 10.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 24.1 minutes per game. Overall last season, Ilyasova appeared in 69 games and made 43 starts with both Atlanta and Philadelphia, including 10 playoff appearances with the 76ers, and averaged 10.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 25.1 minutes per contest.
“Ersan is a high-character, veteran player who gives our team an additional shooter to help spread the court,” said Bucks General Manager Jon Horst. “He has a team-first mentality and brings toughness and energy to both ends of the floor. We are very excited to have him and his family back in Milwaukee.”
Ilyasova has played seven seasons in Milwaukee, appearing in 453 games (257 starts) in two stints with the Bucks in 2006-07 and 2009-15. As a Buck, Ilyasova holds career averages of 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from three. Ilyasova is currently seventh on the Bucks all-time list for 3-pointers made (428) and eighth in 3-pointers attempted (1,157). In 2011-12 with the Bucks, Ilyasova knocked down 45.5 percent of his 3-point attempts, which ranked second in the NBA and still stands as the fourth-best single-season mark in franchise history.
In his career, Ilyasova has played in 678 career games with Milwaukee, Detroit, Orlando, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia and Atlanta and holds career averages of 11.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from beyond the arc. The Turkish native also played two seasons internationally with FC Barcelona Lassa (Spain) in 2007-09.