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.
2-pointers this season
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.
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 | Status |
| PG | Shane Larkin | Signed until 2028 |
| PG | Darius Thompson | Signed until 2026 |
| PG | Ridvan Oncel | Signed until 2025 +1 |
| SG/PG | PJ Dozier (story) | Signed until 2027 |
| SG | Rodrigue Beaubois | Signed until 2025 |
| SG | Dogus Ozdemiroglu | Signed until 2025 |
| SG | Elijah Bryant | Signed until 2025 |
| SF/SG | Jordan Nwora | Signed until 2025 +1 |
| SF/SG | David Mutaf (story) | Signed until 2027 |
| SF | Erkan Yilmaz (story) | Signed until 2027 |
| PF | Derek Willis | Signed until 2025 |
| PF | Rolands Smits | Signed until 2026 +1 |
| PF | Burakcan Yildizli | Signed until 2025 +1 |
| PF | Ercan Osmani (story) | Signed until 2027 |
| C | Dan Oturu | Signed until 2025 +1 |
| C | Vincent Poirier | Signed until 2027 |
| C | Salih Altuntas | Long-term contract |
| 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:
Thank you for reading us! Help us even more.
