Anadolu Efes Istanbul has confirmed the signing of Erkan Yilmaz on a two-year contract. Yilmaz (25 years old, 1.92 meters) was a key member of the Turk Telekom Ankara side that reached the 7DAYS EuroCup Final last season, and for that reason head coach Erdem Can wanted to bring the forward with him to Efes. In a do-it-all role of the bench, Yilmaz posted averages of 6.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals and a 9.6 PIR across all 22 of Turk Telekom's EuroCup games in the 2022-23 campaign. He will make his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut next season.
Erkan Yilmaz reunites with Erdem Can at Efes
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Yilmaz enjoyed his best season to date under Coach Can at Turk Telekom last season, as he set career highs for points, rebounds, assists and steals in both the EuroCup and the Turkish League. The 25-year-old has spent his entire career playing in his native Turkey, having made his professional debut with Antalyaspor in 2013 before going on to play for Turkish First Division team Banvit in the 2015-16 campaign, which is when he got his first taste of EuroCup basketball. He alternated between the first and second divisions over the next few years, playing for Bandirma Kirmizi, Yesilgiresun Belediye and Yeni Mamak. Since 2019, though, Yilmaz has been a first division player, as he suited up for Bandirma in 2019-20 and then he stayed at Bahcesehir for two years, playing in the EuroCup in the first of his two seasons there (2020-21). Last summer, he joined Turk Telekom and became a EuroCup runner-up, and now he's followed head coach Erdem Can and center Tyrique Jones to Istanbul by signing for Efes.