Igor Kokoskov turned down an opportunity to join the NBA coaching staff, opting instead to return to the EuroLeague with Anadolu Efes. His arrival comes as the club prepares for the departures of Elijah Bryant and Daniel Oturu.
Anadolu Efes will enter the 2025–26 season with a new head coach and several major changes.
Igor Kokoskov is returning to the EuroLeague to take over at Efes after spending the last two seasons on Quinn Snyder's staff with the Atlanta Hawks, BasketNews sources confirm.
Per sources, the 53-year-old Serbian-American coach was in advanced talks to join Chauncey Billups' staff with the Portland Trail Blazers.
However, Anadolu Efes made a final push to bring Kokoskov back to Europe, ultimately convincing him to take the head coaching role in Istanbul.
Portland moved forward with Tiago Splitter, who is leaving Paris Basketball after finishing among the top three in the EuroLeague Coach of the Year voting.
Dorde Matic of Meridian Sport was the first to report on Kokoskov accepting a three-year offer from Efes.
Kokoskov led Slovenia to the 2017 EuroBasket title alongside a young Luka Doncic and Goran Dragic, and previously coached Fenerbahce during the 2020–21 EuroLeague season.
Kokoskov holds a historic place in basketball history. In 2000, he became the first non-American to be hired as a full-time assistant in the NBA, joining Alvin Gentry's staff with the LA Clippers.
In 2018, he was named head coach of the Phoenix Suns, becoming the first head coach in NBA history born and raised outside North America.
Credit AP - Scanpix
His arrival comes at a time of transition for Efes. The team parted ways with head coach Luca Banchi, who announced his departure following a 3–2 semifinal loss to Besiktas in the Turkish League. Efes also reached the EuroLeague quarterfinals in the 2024-25 season.
Daniel Oturu
Daniel Oturu
Daniel Oturu
MIN: 16.59
PTS: 8.76 (70.36%)
REB: 4.16
As: 0.53
ST: 0.47
BL: 1.03
TO: 1.08
GM: 38
Efes prepares for further changes to its roster heading into next season.
Elijah Bryant and Dan Oturu are set to join Hapoel Tel Aviv following the 2024–25 season.
Although both players loved their time in Efes and were willing to stay, the offers displayed by Hapoel Tel Aviv were just too difficult to refuse, sources tell BasketNews.
Moses Barda of One was the first to report that Hapoel was close to signing Oturu and Bryant.
Bryant is set to sign a three-year deal with the Israeli club, with the estimated contract's value around $7.5 million, sources tell BasketNews.
The back-to-back NBA and EuroLeague champion had a standout campaign with Efes, averaging 13.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 14.5 performance index rating per game.
He was the only player in the EuroLeague 2024-25 season to average at least 13.8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Bryant, 30, played a vital role in Efes' dramatic late-season surge, averaging 15.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists over the team's 8-game winning streak to close the regular season. During that stretch, he shot 54% on two-pointers, 43% from deep, and 95% from the free-throw line.
Oturu will follow Bryant to Tel Aviv on a three-year deal worth way over $2 million per season, sources tell BasketNews — a salary that would place him among the highest-paid centers in the EuroLeague.
The 25-year-old big man posted 8.8 points on 71.6% shooting from two, along with 4.2 rebounds (2.0 offensive), 1.0 block, and 11.1 PIR in under 17 minutes per game.
No other player in the EuroLeague matched that level of efficiency in PIR in such limited playing time.
His impact was also clear in the advanced stats. With Oturu on the floor, Efes outscored opponents by 8.1 points per 100 possessions. Defensively, the team improved by 7.8 points per 100 possessions — the highest mark on the roster, according to BBallytics.
Anadolu Efes roster:
## Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Position Player
PG Shane Larkin
PG Darius Thompson
PG Ridvan Oncel
SG/PG PJ Dozier (story)
SG Rodrigue Beaubois
SG Dogus Ozdemiroglu
SG Elijah Bryant
SF/SG Jordan Nwora
SF/SG David Mutaf (story)
SF Erkan Yilmaz (story)
PF Derek Willis
PF Rolands Smits
PF Burakcan Yildizli
PF Ercan Osmani (story)
C Dan Oturu
C Vincent Poirier
C Salih Altuntas
Coach Luca Banchi (Signed until 2025 +1)
Expiring contracts Elijah Bryant, Rodrigue Beaubois, Derek Willis
Rumored to leave Luca Banchi, Dan Oturu, Elijah Bryant
Interested Nick Weiler-Babb (story), Igor Kokoskov, Carsen Edwards
More Anadolu Efes transfer news:
Donatas Urbonas
Donatas Urbonas is an award-winning Lithuanian basketball journalist, recognized as the best sports journalist in Lithuania in 2016 and the top basketball journalist in 2018. A Vilnius University journalism graduate, Urbonas has reported on major global sports events, including the Rio 2016 and Paris 2024 Olympics, FIBA World Cups, EuroBaskets, NBA Summer League, and NBA Draft.
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