"Basketball was everything," Ilian recalled of his childhood. "I used to go to school and once I got out of school, I was trying to go to the gym. Anytime we had an opportunity to go to the gym, I was there.”

As a kid in the gym attending his father’s training sessions, Ilian used to shoot baskets on the side, then would stop and wait while coach would talk to the players. Once practice resumed, he would continue to shoot. That might be where his long-range shooting tendencies originated, but his love for the game came from within the family. His father, who played for Bulgaria during the late 1970s, and early 1980s, was the one who taught him the game, while Vasco, who is six years older, was a role model, influence and rival.

“My father was working me out, he was working my brother out and I always wanted to play one-on-one with my brother, because he was older, he was better, he was bigger and my goal was to be better than him."

Sibling rivalry and comradery always helped. Not only would they push each other in practices and pick-up games, which they still do, but Ilian could always use the advice of his older sibling, who had already gone through some of the things that awaited Ilian.

The best thing of all, however, in upholding the family name, was that there was never any pressure. “Comparing myself to my father is not an option, because he played for the Bulgarian national team in a different time, while my brother had a different career than me and played a different position than me,” Ilian explained. “So, I don't really compare myself to them, but we often talk about their experience, their past, my experiences and how their experience can help me.”

As all three Evtimovs excelled in basketball, a single family motto guided their careers. “The best piece of advice that we talk about often is 'Win to be respected.' Everything else doesn't matter, because if you win, no matter what happens, you get respect.”

And Ilian did earn respect everywhere he has gone to play. After studying and playing college basketball in the USA, he came back to Europe in 2006 and has gone on to play in Spain, Italy, Germany, and after short stays in native Bulgaria and Cyprus, he returned to his adopted country of France, joining his current team Elan Chalon in 2010-11. Ilian is currently in his second Eurocup season, after making a debut with Fraport Skyliners in 2007-08, when he averaged 14.5 points per game. However, Chalon is the place of Ilian’s greatest success thus far. He helped Elan Chalon capture the French triple crown in 2011-12 and earn a place in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague.

Last season, Evtimov finally got a taste of the elite competition, and in 10 games as a Euroleague rookie with Elan Chalon, he averaged 8.8 points and 2.1 rebounds. His dream does not stop there, however, as Ilian hopes to one day get a chance to carry the Evtimov name to new heights. “My ultimate goal, which is a very big goal obviously, would be to get to the Final Four of the Euroleague. It doesn't get any better than that. I think that would be a big present for everybody if I ever get there.”