Turk Telekom Ankara (BSL) strengthened their roster with the addition of 30-year-old Belgian international 208cm center Ismael Bako for the 2026-27 season. He most recently played at Zenit in the Russian VTB United League, where he averaged 5.7ppg and 4.6rpg in 15 games last season, helping them reach the semifinals. Bako also played for Paris Basket (Betclic ELITE ProA) in the French league, averaging 4.8ppg and 3.8rpg in 10 games. He contributed to his team reaching the Supercup semifinals.
He has also been a member of the Belgian international program for some years. Bako has regularly played for the Belgian senior team since 2017 and previously for the Under 20 National Team during 2015.
He also represented Belgium at the FIBA World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers three years ago. During this event, he scored an average of 12.9 points per game and had 7 rebounds per game.
Bako is a very experienced player. He has played in France (ASVEL Lyon Villeurbanne Basket), Italy (Virtus Bologna), Spain (BAXI Manresa), and Belgium (Antwerp Giants, Leuven Bears, and Vilvoorde).
Bako's team reached the VTB United League final in 2025. Bako won the Eurobasket.com All-Basketball Champions League European Player of the Year award and Eurobasket.com All-Belgian League Domestic Player of the Year award in 2019.


Turk Telekom Ankara roster for 2026-27:

Guards:
Tony Taylor
Jaleen Smith
Dogus Ozdemiroglu
Ata Kahraman

Forward:
Tim Schneider

Centers:
Emircan Kosut
Kris Bankston


Tags : ISMAEL BAKO, TURK TELEKOM ANKARA, TURKISH BASKETBALL, TURKISH TRANSACTIONS, EUROCUP