After playing for Yeşilyurt in the Turkish second division league during the 2003–04 season, İlyasova stepped up to the Turkish Basketball League for the 2004–05 season with Ülkerspor, averaging 4.5 points and 3.2 rebounds in eleven games.
İlyasova was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 36th overall pick of the 2005 NBA draft. In July 2005, he joined the Bucks for the 2005 NBA Summer League. On August 22, 2005, he signed with the Bucks. On November 14, 2005, he was assigned to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League, 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 November 1, 2006 in a 105–97 win over the Detroit Pistons. 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.
Spain (2007–2009)
On July 18, 2007, İlyasova signed a two-year deal with FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB. In 2009, he won a championship with Barcelona.
Second stint with Milwaukee (2009–2015)
In July 2009, İlyasova signed a multi-year deal to return to the Milwaukee Bucks. On August 3, 2011, İlyasova signed with Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketball League for the duration of the NBA lockout. In December 2011, he returned to the Bucks following the conclusion of the lockout. On February 19, 2012, İlyasova set new career-highs with 29 points and 25 rebounds against the New Jersey Nets, 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 and Swen Nater. 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 July 12, 2012, İlyasova re-signed with the Bucks on a multi-year deal. On March 27, 2014, İlyasova was ruled out for the remainder of the 2013–14 season due to a right ankle injury. On March 26, 2015, İlyasova scored a career-high 34 points in a 111-107 win over the Indiana Pacers.
Detroit Pistons (2015–2016)
On June 11, 2015, İlyasova was traded to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Caron Butler and Shawne Williams. The move reunited him with Brandon Jennings, who he played with in Milwaukee. On October 27, he made his debut for the Pistons in a 106–94 win over the Atlanta Hawks, recording 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists and one block in 34 minutes.
On February 16, 2016, İlyasova was traded to the Orlando Magic, along with Brandon Jennings, in exchange for Tobias Harris. The next day, he made his debut with the Magic in a 110–104 win over the Dallas Mavericks, recording 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal in 23 minutes.
On November 1, 2016, İlyasova was traded, along with a conditional first-round pick, to the Philadelphia 76ers 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. On December 6, he had season bests of 23 points and 17 rebounds in a 96–91 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. He had a second 23-point game on December 8 against the New Orleans Pelicans, and a third 23-point game on December 30 against the Denver Nuggets—both resulting in wins. On January 29, 2017, he scored a season-high 31 points in a 121–108 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
Atlanta Hawks (2017–2018)
On February 22, 2017, İlyasova was traded again, this time to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Tiago Splitter, a protected 2017 second-round pick, and the option to swap a second-round pick. On July 21, 2017, İlyasova re-signed with the Hawks. On February 26, 2018, he was waived by the Hawks.
Return to Philadelphia (2018)
On February 28, 2018, İlyasova signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, returning to the franchise for a second stint.
Third stint with Milwaukee (2018–present)
On July 16, 2018, İlyasova signed with the Milwaukee Bucks, returning to the franchise for a third stint. On December 16, 2018, he sustained a fractured nose during practice, which required surgery.
İlyasova is the son of Crimean Tatar parents, Anvar İlyasov and Iraliye İlyasova. He is married to Julia, who was born in Belarus. They have two daughters, Xenia and Catherine, both born in Milwaukee.
Citizenship and age
Since the 2003 Turkish Junior Basketball Championship held in Konya, 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, Uzbekistan, entered Turkey as an 18-year-old in August 7, 2002 and was never heard from again, while on September 19, 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 in a grievance, but FIBA ruled in the Turkish Basketball Federation's favor. While this controversy was brewing, some media outlets, such as ESPN's Chad Ford, openly 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.
