Giorgi Shermadini ( ka, გიორგი შერმადინი) is a Georgian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for Lenovo Tenerife of the Spanish Liga ACB. He was born in the village of

Natakhtari Natakhtari ( ka, ნატახტარი) is a village in the Mtskheta municipality, Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, Georgia. It is located in Eastern Georgia, on the right bank of the Aragvi The Aragvi ( ka, არაგვი) and its basin a ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

on April 2, 1989. He is tall, and he plays at the

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

position.

Early career

In the 2004–05 season, Shermadini was the top scorer of the Georgian Youth League. His highest point total in one game was 89 points scored against the Sokhumi State University team, and he also had a 76 point, 16 rebound, and 6 assist game as well. He also had a 52 point game, a 54 point game, and another game, where he scored 60 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists. He also participated in the Adidas Superstar Camp. His performance at the Adidas Superstar Camp earned him a selection to the World All-Star Team. In January 2005, he had his first practice with Maccabi Tbilisi’s Junior Team.

Professional career

Shermadini started playing basketball professionally when he was 16 years old, on the senior men's Georgian basketball team, Maccabi Tbilisi. In his first season in the Georgian Super League, during the 2005–06 season, he averaged 28.5 points per game, 14.7 rebounds per game, 2.8 assists per game, 3.0 blocks per game, and 1.2 steals per game, at the age of 17. Following the 2005–06 season, Shermadini was invited to the "

Basketball Without Borders Basketball Without Borders is a basketball instructional camp organized by the NBA in conjunction with FIBA. It presents itself as a “basketball development and community outreach program that unites young basketball players to promote the sport ...

" (BWB) Europe camp, conducted at

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

, Lithuania, from June 30 to July 3. During the 2006–07 season, at 18 years old, he averaged the highest points per game ever in the Georgian Super League. He averaged 35.1 points per game, 16.4 rebounds per game, 4.7 assists per game, 3.4 blocks per game, and 2.6 steals per game. This included a game where he scored 60 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists. During the 2007–08 season, at the age of 19, he averaged 33.5 points per game, 18.4 rebounds per game, 4.8 assists per game, 3.2 blocks per game, and 2.3 steals per game, in the Georgian Super League. In April 2007, Shermadini was invited to the "

Nike Hoop Summit The Nike Hoop Summit is an international men's basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, held once a year since 1995, except from 2001–2003, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select Team of international ...

" World Select Team. Unfortunately, he did not play with the World Select Team, due to an injury to his

meniscus Meniscus may refer to: *Meniscus (anatomy), crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that partly divides a joint cavity *Meniscus (liquid) The meniscus (plural: ''menisci'', from the Greek for "crescent") is the curve in the upper surface ...

, which required surgery. He declared as an early-entry candidate for the NBA draft in 2008, but he failed to be selected in the 2008 NBA draft, as some concerns still remained among NBA scouts over his injury. Shermadini signed with the EuroLeague giants, the Greek League club

Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...

, in 2008. He debuted on 29 November 2008, in the game against Egaleo, playing for 6 minutes, and scoring 4 points. His EuroLeague debut came on 17 December 2008, playing for 10 minutes, and scoring 1 point against

SLUC Nancy Stade Lorrain Université Club Nancy Basket, commonly referred to as SLUC Nancy Basket, is a French professional basketball club based in Nancy. The club currently competes in the LNB Pro A, the top league in France, and holds two league titles. S ...

. His next game came in the Greek League, on 15 February 2009, against Trikala 2000. He scored 9 points (a personal high for him to that date while at Panathinaikos), with two dunks and 5/5 free throws. He surpassed his personal best again, although playing only for 12 minutes, by scoring 13 points in a home game against Union Kavala-Panorama, on 15 April 2009. In October 2010, he was sent by Panathinaikos, on a one-year

loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that ...

, to

Union Olimpija Košarkarski klub Olimpija ( en, Olimpija Basketball Club) was a men's professional basketball club based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Olimpija has won 23 National League championships, including eight consecutive titles between 1992 and 1999. They ...

of the

Adriatic League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mac ...

. In October 2011, he was again loaned by Panathinaikos, this time to the

Italian league The Italic League or Most Holy League was an international agreement concluded in Venice on 30 August 1454, between the Papal States, the Republic of Venice, the Duchy of Milan, the Republic of Florence, and the Kingdom of Naples, following the Tr ...

club

Cantù Cantù (; Brianzöö: ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Como, located at the center of the Brianza zone in Lombardy. It is the second largest city in Brianza. History The name could stem from that of the Canturigi, a population o ...

. In June 2012, he signed a two-year deal with the

Israeli Super League The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested b ...

club

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...

. In December 2012, he signed a deal with the Greek League club

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...

. With Olympiacos, he won the 2012–13 season championship of the EuroLeague. In the summer of 2013, he signed with

CAI Zaragoza Basket Zaragoza 2002 S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Basket Zaragoza and as Casademont Zaragoza for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Zaragoza, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB. Their home arena is th ...

of the Spanish League. He left the team in February 2014, in order to come back to

. On August 9, 2015, he signed with MoraBanc Andorra. On July 9, 2019, Shermadini signed with the Spanish club

Iberostar Tenerife Club Cantera Base 1939 Canarias S.A.D., also known as Lenovo Tenerife for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team that is based in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain. Domestically, the team plays in the top level league i ...

. He averaged 18.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game during the 2019-20 season. On May 27, 2020, he signed a three-year extension with the club. On May 26, 2021, Shermadini was named the Most Valuable Player of the

2020–21 ACB season The 2020–21 ACB season, also known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, was the 38th season of the top Spanish professional basketball league, since its establishment in 1983. It started on 19 September 2020 with the first round of the regul ...

after averaging 17.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and a PIR of 22.5.

National team career

Georgian junior national team

In June 2005, despite his brief playing experience, Shermadini was selected to the Under-16 Junior National Team of Georgia, and he played at the

Youth Olympic Games The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) is an international multi-sport event for athletes between 15 and 18 years old, organized by the International Olympic Committee. The games are held every four years in staggered summer and winter events consiste ...

, in Moscow. Later in 2005, he played at the

2005 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship The 2005 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship was the 19th edition of the FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship. The city of León, in Spain, hosted the tournament. Turkey won the trophy for the second time. Poland and Belgium were relegated to Division ...

, in

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

. Following his surgery and rehabilitation, for his

injury that he suffered in 2007; he was invited to the Under-20 Junior National Team of Georgia. At 18 years old, he played at the

2007 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship The 2007 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship was the tenth edition of the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. The cities of Nova Gorica, in Slovenia, and Gorizia, in Italy, hosted the tournament. Serbia won their first title with that name

, in

Nova Gorica A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramat ...

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. Despite playing at much less than full strength, due to his recent surgery and rehabilitation, he was the top scorer on the Georgian Under-20 National Team, averaging 12.5 points per game, 7.4 rebounds per game, and 1.5 assists per game, in 23.8 minutes played per game. He was also the second-leading shot blocker in the Under-20 European Championship, averaging 2.1 blocked shots per game. At the 2008 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, Shermadini shot 74% from the field, averaged 21.5 points per game, 10.5 rebounds per game, 1.2 assists per game, and 3.7 blocks per game.

Georgian senior national team

In August 2006, Shermadini was the youngest player ever selected to the senior men's Georgian national basketball team, when he made the men's senior national team at the age of just 17. He played alongside teammates,

Zaza Pachulia Zaza Pachulia ( ka, ზაზა ფაჩულია; born Zaur Pachulia; February 10, 1984) is a Georgian professional basketball executive and former player who is a basketball operations consultant for the Golden State Warriors of the Nati ...

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Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

Nikoloz Tskitishvili Nikoloz Tskitishvili ( ka, ნიკოლოზ ცქიტიშვილი; born April 14, 1983) is a Georgian former professional basketball player. He is a 7'0" forward-center, who was selected fifth overall by the Denver Nuggets in the ...

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Teramo Basket Teramo Basket was a professional basketball club that is based in Teramo, Italy. Established in 1960, Teramo played in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), Italy's top league, for 10 years before they were moved to the Serie B. The team played at Pala ...

Shammond Williams Shammond Omar Williams (born April 5, 1975) is a retired American-born naturalized Georgian professional basketball player. Standing at , he played at both point guard and shooting guard positions. During his career he played in the NBA and in ...

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Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

Viktor Sanikidze Viktor Sanikidze (alternate spelling: Victor) (born April 1, 1986) is a Georgian politician, former professional basketball executive and former player. He played at both the small forward and power forward positions in his entire career. Early ...

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Tartu Ülikool/Rock University of Tartu basketball team ( et, link=no, Tartu Ülikooli korvpallimeeskond ), for sponsorship reasons known as Tartu Ülikool Maks & Moorits, is a professional basketball team based in Tartu, Estonia. The team plays in the Latvian–Es ...

), Manu Markoishvili ( Olimpija Ljubljana), and Vladimir Boisa (

Menorca Bàsquet Menorca Bàsquet, S.A.D. was a professional basketball team based in Menorca, Balearic Islands. On July 5, 2012 the club announced its dissolution after it was forced to renounce to its third promotion to Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga ...

). With the Georgia's senior national team, he played at the 2013 EuroBasket and the

2017 EuroBasket EuroBasket 2017 was the 40th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe and held between 31 August and 17 September 2017. Beginning from 2017, the continental championships take place every four years with a similar ...

Player profile

Shermadini is a legitimate seven-footer who understands well how to use his body to maintain good positioning. He possesses a nice jump hook shot and he has excellent fundamentals and offensive skills. He is a defensive presence with his long wingspan and his shot-blocking ability.

Awards and accomplishments

*Adidas Superstar Camp World All-Star Team: (2005) *3× ''

Eurobasket.com Eurobasket.com also commonly referred to as "Eurobasket News", is a basketball-centered website that provide coverages of every professional and semi-professional leagues around the world. Although primarily focusing on European basketball, th ...

'' website's Georgian League Player of the Year: (2006, 2007, 2008) *

World Select Team: (2007) *

Greek Cup The Greek Football Cup ( el, Κύπελλο Ελλάδος Ποδοσφαίρου), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Kypello Elladas is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second most ...

Winner: (2009) * Greek League Champion: (2009) *2× EuroLeague Champion: ( 2009,

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Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Tri ...

Champion: (2009) * All-Liga ACB First Team: (

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

) * Spanish League MVP: (

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

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