Elijah Bryant says goodbye after four seasons with Anadolu Efes Istanbul, reflecting on his family's life there, the teammates and coaches he bonded with, and the EuroLeague Final Four appearances and Turkish titles they won together. He describes the emotional weight of leaving a place where his two sons became rooted.
Well, Elijah Bryant, look at some of his highlights, which I'm sure will focus on the points. He does so much than just score for this team defensively. He is so important for them as well. Good defense by Bryant, really good defense by Bryant. Great pass by Bryant, gliding down. Difficult shot, tough make by Elijah Bryant. To Bryant, Bryant, the perfect response for Evans, the corner 3-pointer from Elijah Bryant. Anadolu Efes Istanbul reinforced their recent dominance while retaining their position at the pinnacle of European basketball.
This isn't going to be the easiest video just because of the context of it. I've spent the last 4 years in Istanbul, Turkey, and I've had some of the most amazing moments of not only my basketball career but my life. Per se. I mean, my son was born here. My other son grew up here. It's all we've known for the past 4 years, and it's been a hard decision for my family and I. We've had a lot of prayer and thought, and our time in Ephesus is coming to an end. But it's not a sad thing. It's not a sad thing because we created a lot of special memories. We created a lot of special relationships, and I think I grew. I think I grew as a player, as an individual, as a friend. I've spent more time with my teammates than I have my family. So, and I say my teammates, I mean my coaches, coaches, medical staff, all those people, they've become my family. So it's just so weird to think of not playing, you know, with Shane and Roddy and all my teammates I play with— Chris Singleton and Moerman, Anderson. Momo was a big brother for me when I first got here, as well as Roddy, Shane, all these guys allowing me to grow and develop as a player but also as a person. There's been so many funny moments with my teammates just because you spend so much time with them. Even Dunston, you know, playing the Nintendo Switch on the road. It's just so many things that you like look back and you're like, dang, I'm gonna miss that. Like, oh, okay, here on the training table because we got a trick-seeking game tomorrow.
That's crazy, bro. 45 minutes.
I need to go play football for real.
Oh my gosh, this is not soup, this is ice.
So used to everyone's routine and little things they do before a game becomes second nature. So I think it's going to be, it's going to be an adjustment for sure. I think that's the reason why we've been able to have so much success over the years is the people behind the scenes. So I'm grateful for the president, the GMs, both GMs, Albert, Ishmael, all my coaches, Tommy, Adaman, Erdem Can, Bonky, Uğur, Umut, Serhan, Typhoon, the medical staff, the equipment manager, Murat, Badi, Susu, Ersin. Everyone plays a role in a successful group, but not everyone gets the spotlight. So you just think about all the great memories. I mean, you forget all the bad stuff, you only remember the good stuff, right? I mean, winning the EuroLeague, winning everything in Turkey that you can win. I remember EuroLeague going to the Final Four. I mean, forget EuroLeague, I remember Arriving from our first game and we win, we beat Unix. We were 0-4 at the time. The next game we go to play Gala and we lose, and freaking coach out of line ships us to the hotel for camp. I'm like, what the heck is going on? You know what I mean? Like, why are we getting punished for losing? And I learned that was the way.
Don't talk, don't talk, please. Fucking me, don't talk. Make fucking defense, make the fucking defense, make the fucking defense. I win the game.
Cuz later that year we held the cup up and we won the cup. And just those emotions at the Final Four with your teammates. I know after Vasa hitting the big shot to get us to the final against Olympiacos, and then playing against Madrid and winning, I just remember crying after. I'm like Why are you crying? It's just so much emotions.
It's weird.
It's like a weird feeling. Like, even the city of Istanbul, what it's done for my family and my kids going to school, it's going to be something we miss a lot, and it's going to be something that we cherish forever. And the fans being able to feel the love from the fans, not only on the basketball court, but when we're outside doing our daily stuff, going to the mall, going to restaurants, taking the kids around, feeling that love. Just because, I mean, this is a foreign country for us, so I would be remiss if I didn't say thank you to the fans, but also thank you to the people of Turkey and Istanbul for welcoming my family and I for the last 4 years. I think I can't appreciate you guys enough, and I'm so grateful for Efes for giving me the opportunity to wear that jersey, and I will always forever have a piece of Efes Istanbul in my heart and on my jersey. Not an easy decision, but I think with anything in life, at some point there's change, and with change there's opportunity for growth. So that's how I'm looking at it— opportunity to grow not only as a basketball player but as a person as well. It's been an honor playing for Anadolu Efes, and I hope I represented it well. This isn't a goodbye, this is just a see you later. So maybe I'll see you soon. And remember, it's faith plus consistency. Teşekkürler, Istanbul. The secular FSO Xi Yichen.
