Ersan Ilyasova is a name that NBA fans would not have heard much over the years. He has not been a big-name player since joining the league almost a decade ago. However, Ersan has still managed to attract quite a bit of attention to himself somewhere along the way.
For those who don’t know, the Milwaukee Bucks drafted Ersan as the 35th pick in the second round of the 2005 NBA Draft. That was the start of something special for the young Turk. He has featured for several teams till now. This includes the Bucks, Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, OKC, Philadelphia 76ers, and Atlanta Hawks. It would be safe to say he was a regular face in the league during his 12-year career up till now.
![Where Is Ersan Ilyasova Now? The Truth Behind Ilyasova’s Identity 2 Ersan Ilyasova](https://static.sportsmanor.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/21110909/Ersan-Ilyasova-4.jpg)
However, that hasn’t been the biggest highlight of his career. There have been many rumors over the years that Ersan changed his identity before joining the NBA.
Ersan was born in Turkey in 1987. He started his career on the court by making his basketball debut for Yeşilyurt in 2003. Ersan was just 16 years old at the time. Right after that, he touched a greater height in 2004 by playing for Ülkerspor, a first-division team in the Turkish Basketball League. The next year, Ersan went across the world to play in the NBA.
When he came under the spotlight after joining the league, rumors started floating involving his name. Many mentioned that Ersan Ilyasova was not even his real name. There were claims that Ersan might be associated with an individual named Arsen Ilyasov as well.
Are Arsen Ilyasov and Ersan Ilyasova the same person?
According to a Turkish newspaper, Ersan Ilyasova’s real name is Arsen Ilyasov. Ilyasova traveled to Turkey after crossing the Uzbekistan border, where he was originally from. He fled the country when he was just 18 years old to move to Turkey, as the report mentions. This was in August 2002.
One might wonder what prompted Ersan to flee his country. The answer to that would be the fact that Uzbekistan consisted of political tensions and conflicts at the time. This helped Ersan realize that he would have to look for opportunities to thrive elsewhere.
However, just over a month later, an individual called Semsettin Bulut ran to the authorities and claimed that he forgot to register his son’s birth. When Bulut claimed that he wanted to register his son’s birth, he mentioned that his child was 15 years old.
![Where Is Ersan Ilyasova Now? The Truth Behind Ilyasova’s Identity 3 Ersan Ilyasova](https://static.sportsmanor.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/21110501/Ersan-Ilyasova-3.jpg)
Ultimately, Ersan was registered right away by authorities. As his identity was recognized, he was registered as 15 years old (born in 1987), when the alleged truth was that he was 18 (born in 1987). On top of that, it is officially registered that Ersan was born in Eskişehir. This was where Butul was from. However, Enver is the real father of Ersan. This raises the question of why Butul was willing to claim that Ersan was his child.
There have been reports that mentioned that Ersan had registered himself as a younger teenager to ensure that he would play in the younger groups in Turkish basketball. He was able to play for the Turkish Basketball Federation later on. In addition to that, the former Bucks star also featured in domestic tournaments in the country.
The Uzbekistan Basketball Federation even raised this issue to FIBA, mentioning that an individual named Arsen had allegedly changed his identity to play for Turkey. However, unfortunately for them, FIBA dismissed the claims after finding there wasn’t enough evidence to begin an investigation.
Comparing all the details and the information available to us, it is quite likely for Ersan to be Arsen. However, we have to keep in mind that there is plenty of false information available to our eyes and ears. It is vital for fans to be wise in choosing what to believe and what not to.
Right now, Ersan isn’t an NBA player. The last franchise he played for was the Utah Jazz. In 825 regular-season games, he has averaged 10.1 points and 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. What he’s doing currently is not known to the world.