Erkan Yılmaz is a Turkish-born professional basketball player of Turkish nationality. Since 2015, he has gained experience in the Turkish Basketball Super League and lower leagues by playing for various clubs. Yılmaz, whose entire club career has been shaped within Türkiye, is among the players with no international or NBA experience. He began his national team career in the youth ranks and progressed to the senior national team level, contributing to the rotation by playing limited playing time, particularly during the qualifiers. Playing as a forward, he has assumed a variety of roles in both defense and offense.

Birth and Nationality

Erkan Yılmaz was born on December 3, 1997. According to the records of the Turkish Basketball Federation, his nationality is Turkish and he played for the Turkish national team for a long time.

The Beginning of a Club Career

Erkan Yılmaz's professional club career began in the 2015-16 season with Banvit in the Basketball Super League. He played in 20 games, averaging 3.9 minutes per game, and gained his first basketball experience during his adaptation period. In 2016-17, he transferred to Bandırma Kırmızı, a TB2L team, where he gained more playing time just below the league level, averaging 2.5 points and 1.7 rebounds in 7.1 minutes per game. The following season, he played for Yeşilgiresun Belediyespor, familiarizing himself with the diverse club cultures within the league.

His Career in the Countries He Played

He has played in only one country throughout his career, Türkiye. He has gained experience across a wide range of leagues, from the First League to the Super League, joining the squads of teams competing at various levels. He played for the second-league Yeni Mamak in 2018-19, again for Bandırma BK in 2019-20, at Bahçeşehir Koleji from 2020-22, at Türk Telekom in the 2022-23 season, and with Anadolu Efes in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. Yılmaz, who has never had any international or NBA experience, has played all of his professional matches in Turkish leagues.

National Team Career

Erkan Yılmaz began his national team career at the U18 level at the 2015 FIBA U18 European Championship. He then played for Türkiye at the 2017 FIBA U20 European Championship, averaging 5.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per tournament. He was promoted to senior level and was included on the 2023 World Cup European Qualifiers and the 2025 EuroBasket Qualifiers, playing in two different international tournament qualifying groups through 2023, albeit for limited stints.

Positions

Yılmaz, who plays in the power forward rotation, is defined as a “small forward” in the technical formation and assumes this role in defense and half-court attack.

Club Achievements

• 2022 FIBA Europe Cup championship (Bahçeşehir College)

National Team Achievements

• He was part of the Turkish U18 squad in the 2015 FIBA U18 European Championship

• He played for the Türkiye U20 squad in the 2017 FIBA U20 European Championship