Zaza Pachulia

Zaur Pachulia was born on February 10, 1984 in Tbilisi, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, USSR (present-day Georgia).He plays center and power forward for the Atlanta Hawks. European Leagues’ Zaza was almost 6 feet 8 inches at the age of 13, and was scouted and recruited by the Turkish professional team Ülkerspor when he was a teenager.

He was also a member of the national basketball team of Georgia and led his team, as a center, to beat other Eastern European rivals, such as Belarus and Bulgaria.

Zaza was drafted in the second round of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. The Charlotte Bobcats chose him in the 2004 Expansion draft, then traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Pachulia signed a contract with the Atlanta Hawks in the 2005 off-season. He became the Hawks’ starting center during the 2005-06 Season, averaging 11.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.

He lost his starting position during the 2006-07 Season, and began coming off the bench instead. Pachulia also played in the Turkish Basketball League with the Galatasaray team during the NBA lockout of 2011.

Pachulia transferred to the Milwaukee Bucks on July 17, 2013 where he marked a franchise record of 21 rebounds. He was later on traded to the Dallas Mavericks on July 9, 2015. He went on to record the 100th double-double of his career and the 20th double-double of his season.

He signed with the Golden State Warrior on July 12, 2016 and he helped the team record 67 wins during the 2016 to 2017 Season. Pachulia became the first player from Georgia to become an NBA champion when the Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Championship.

While he was involved in many controversial and alleged dirty plays which resulted to the injury of other players, Pachulia was not disciplined by the NBA. He went on to win another championship with the Warriors on June 2018. He transferred to the Detroit Pistons on July 15, 2018.

Career Accomplishments:
• 2-time NBA champion (2017, 2018)
• Turkish League champion (2001)
• Turkish Cup winner (2003)
• 3-time Turkish Presidential Cup winner (2001–2003)