Milwaukee Bucks: 15 greatest draft steals in franchise history

The story of Ersan Ilyasova is one that travels a lot, but always leads back to Milwaukee. The Turkish forward first made a name for himself in the Turkish Basketball League as a teenager, and the Bucks took a shot on him with the 36th pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.

The 6-foot-10 Ilyasova came over immediately, joining the Bucks as a raw kid of 18 years old. He spent his first season in the NBA D-League with the Tulsa 66ers. In his second season, Ilyasova debuted for the Bucks and played 66 games overall. He then left for FC Barcelona in the top Spanish league, winning a title in his two seasons abroad.

Then, Ilyasova returned to the team that still held his rights, signing a new contract and playing two seasons there. When the lockout hit in 2011, he played in Turkey for a few months, then back to Milwaukee for another four seasons. By the time he was traded to the Detroit Pistons in 2015, he had played seven seasons total for the Bucks in three stints.

Ilyasova was never a star for the Bucks, but he was a reliable contributor throughout his tenure. His ability to stretch the floor was important (twice shooting over 44 percent from distance for a season), and he became well-known for his selfless defense and charge-taking.

After floating around the league for five different teams in six stops, Ilyasova returned to the Bucks on a multi-year contract in the Summer 2018. The value of drafting a player at No. 36 who is still playing in the league 14 years later is high, and earns Ilyasova a prominent place on this list.