Zaza Pachulia ( ka, ზაზა ფაჩულია; born Zaur Pachulia; February 10, 1984) 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 ...

executive and former player who is a basketball operations consultant for the Golden State Warriors of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA). He won two

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

s with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018. He has played for the Georgia national team, captaining them in multiple tournaments.

Professional career

Ülkerspor (1999–2003)

Pachulia started playing basketball at an early age in

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 ...

. He was approximately at the age of 13. He was scouted and recruited by the Turkish professional team Ülkerspor when he was a teenager. He became a member of the Georgian junior national basketball team at a young age, leading them at various tournaments.

Orlando Magic (2003–2004)

Once he distinguished himself with Ülkerspor, Pachulia was drafted in the second round by the Orlando Magic during the

2003 NBA draft The 2003 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2003, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The NBA announced that 41 college and high school players and a record 31 international players had filed as early-entry candidates ...

Milwaukee Bucks (2004–2005)

After being selected in the 2004 expansion draft by the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populou ...

, Pachulia was traded to the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

, where he played the 2004–05 season. While with the Bucks, he averaged 6.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game off the bench.

Atlanta Hawks (2005–2011)

Pachulia signed a contract with the

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 ...

Hawks Sign Zaza Pachulia
Aug. 11, 2005; article retrieved March 21, 2007 in the 2005 off-season and became the Hawks' starting center, when he averaged 11.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game during the 2005–06 season. He began as the starting center during the 2006–07 season but later came off the bench. An on-court altercation between the relatively obscure Pachulia and Celtics star

Kevin Garnett Kevin Maurice Garnett ( ; born May 19, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played for 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed KG by his initials, and the "Big Ticket" for his emphatic dunki ...

led one writer to dub Pachulia "Balboa" after the lead character from the ''

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burge ...

'' series of movies. Pachulia re-signed with the Hawks on July 13, 2009, agreeing to a multi-year contract.

Galatasaray (2011)

During the 2011 NBA lockout, Pachulia signed with

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

of the

Turkish Basketball League Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and ...

Return to Atlanta (2011–2013)

Pachulia returned to the Hawks in December 2011, playing with them until 2013.

Return to Milwaukee (2013–2015)

On July 17, 2013, Pachulia signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. On March 20, 2015, he recorded 22 points and 21 rebounds in a 129–127 overtime loss to the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

. His 21 rebounds included 18 offensive rebounds, which marked an NBA season high and a Bucks franchise record.

Dallas Mavericks (2015–2016)

On July 9, 2015, Pachulia was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for a future second-round pick. He made his debut for the Mavericks in the team's season opener against the Phoenix Suns on October 28, recording a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in a 111–95 win. On December 26, he recorded his 16th double-double of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds against the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

, surpassing his 2014–15 season total. On January 12, 2016, he recorded his 20th double-double of the season, and the 100th in his career, with 14 points and 12 rebounds in a 110–107 overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Later that month, he came within 14,227 votes of knocking out

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

small forward

Kawhi Leonard Kawhi Anthony Leonard ( ; born June 29, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time NBA champion, he is a five-time All-Star with three All-NBA ...

for a starting spot on the West All-Star team for the

2016 NBA All-Star Game The 2016 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 14, 2016, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2015–16 season. It was the 65th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at Air Canad ...

. On February 3, 2016, he recorded 10 points and 15 rebounds against the Miami Heat for his career-best 22nd double-double of the season. His previous best was 21 double-doubles, set with Atlanta in 2005–06.

Golden State Warriors (2016–2018)

2016–17 season

On July 12, 2016, Pachulia signed with the Golden State Warriors. On December 22, 2016, he had a season-best game with 15 points and 14 rebounds in a 117–101 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Pachulia helped the Warriors finish the 2016–17 regular season with 67 wins. During Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Spurs, he had an infamous closeout foot slide on Kawhi Leonard, which ruled out Leonard for the rest of the series and effectively ended San Antonio's season. While Pachulia denied that he intended to injure Leonard, he was instantly dubbed a villain by the public and media. The Warriors went on to win the NBA championship after defeating the Cavaliers 4–1 in the

2017 NBA Finals The 2017 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2016–17 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeated the defending NBA champio ...

. Pachulia made history for

by becoming the first player from the country to win an NBA Championship. The Warriors finished the playoffs with a 16–1 record, the best postseason winning percentage in NBA history.

2017–18 season

On July 25, 2017, Pachulia re-signed with the Warriors. On December 30, 2017, he scored a season-best 17 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists in a 141–128 win over the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

. In a game against the Thunder on February 25, 2018, Pachulia again caused controversy as he fell onto

Russell Westbrook Russell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, he is a nine-time NBA All-Star and ...

's knee after a play. Westbrook stated in an interview after the game that he believed Pachulia's fall was intentional with the intent of injuring his knee. Teammate

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for t ...

later defended Pachulia stating that he had gotten his feet tangled up with Nick Young in the incident, but Pachulia was criticized by many players, coaches and pundits such as

Paul George Paul Clifton Anthony George (born May 2, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "PG-13", he is a seven-time NBA All-Star and six-time member of th ...

Kyrie Irving Kyrie Andrew Irving (; lkt, Ȟéla, italic=no, ; born March 23, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named the Rookie of the Year after being selected ...

Gregg Popovich Gregg Charles Popovich (born January 28, 1949) is an American professional basketball coach and executive who is the president and head coach of the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Taking over as coach of the Spur ...

, describing the incident as yet another in a long list of controversial dirty plays in Pachulia's career. The NBA officially stated that they would not discipline Pachulia over the incident. In June 2018, Pachulia won his second straight championship as a member of the Warriors, after they defeated the Cavaliers in a four-game sweep in the

Finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

Detroit Pistons (2018–2019)

On July 15, 2018, Pachulia signed with the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

Post-playing career

On August 29, 2019, Pachulia retired from playing and re-joined the Warriors as a front office consultant in their basketball operations department. He won his third

after the Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in six games in the

2022 NBA Finals The 2022 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 2021–22 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Western Conference champion Golden State War ...

Personal life

Pachulia legally changed his first name from Zaur to Zaza. He and his wife, Tika, have two sons, Davit and Saba, and a daughter, Mariam. Beginning in 2004, Pachulia hosted annual free summer basketball camps for children in different locations throughout Georgia until 2016 when he established a basketball academy in his native Tbilisi. In 2017, Pachulia received the Order of Honor from

Republic of Georgia A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

president

Giorgi Margvelashvili Giorgi Margvelashvili ( ka, გიორგი მარგველაშვილი; born 4 September 1969) is a Georgian academic and politician who was the fourth President of Georgia, in office from 17 November 2013 to 16 December 2018. ...

. He also holds Turkish citizenship.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

, 59 , , 2 , , 11.3 , , .389 , , – , , .644 , , 2.9 , , .2 , , .4 , , .2 , , 3.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

, 74 , , 4 , , 18.9 , , .452 , , .000 , , .746 , , 5.1 , , .8 , , .6 , , .5 , , 6.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, 78 , , 78 , , 31.4 , , .451 , , .000 , , .735 , , 7.9 , , 1.7 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , 11.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 72 , , 47 , , 28.1 , , .474 , , .000 , , .786 , , 6.9 , , 1.5 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 62 , , 5 , , 15.2 , , .437 , , .000 , , .706 , , 4.0 , , .6 , , .4 , , .2 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 26 , , 19.1 , , .497 , , .000 , , .709 , , 5.7 , , .7 , , .5 , , .3 , , 6.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , 1 , , 14.0 , , .488 , , .000 , , .650 , , 3.8 , , .5 , , .5 , , .4 , , 4.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 7 , , 15.7 , , .461 , , – , , .754 , , 4.2 , , .7 , , .4 , , .3 , , 4.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 58 , , 44 , , 28.3 , , .499 , , – , , .741 , , 7.9 , , 1.4 , , .9 , , .5 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 52 , , 15 , , 21.8 , , .473 , , .000 , , .757 , , 6.5 , , 1.5 , , .7 , , .2 , , 5.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 53 , , 43 , , 25.0 , , .427 , , .000 , , .846 , , 6.3 , , 2.6 , , .8 , , .3 , , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , 45 , , 23.7 , , .454 , , .000 , , .788 , , 6.8 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 8.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, 76 , , 69 , , 26.4 , , .454 , , .000 , , .768 , , 9.4 , , 1.7 , , .8 , , .3 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 70 , , 70 , , 18.1 , , .534 , , .000 , , .778 , , 5.9 , , 1.9 , , .8 , , .5 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 69 , , 57 , , 14.1 , , .564 , , .000 , , .806 , , 4.7 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , .2 , , 5.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, 68 , , 3 , , 12.9 , , .440 , , .000 , , .782 , , 3.9 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .3 , , 3.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 1,098 , , 516 , , 20.3 , , .469 , , .000 , , .751 , , 5.8 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , .3 , , 6.8

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , 0 , , 15.0 , , .280 , , .000 , , .714 , , 2.9 , , .3 , , .3 , , .0 , , 4.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009 , style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 1 , , 23.6 , , .415 , , – , , .762 , , 6.9 , , .3 , , .5 , , .3 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2010 , style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 0 , , 14.6 , , .514 , , – , , .625 , , 3.5 , , .3 , , .2 , , .6 , , 4.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011 , style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 0 , , 17.7 , , .478 , , – , , .773 , , 4.9 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , .1 , , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015 , style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 6 , , 21.5 , , .400 , , – , , .615 , , 6.7 , , 1.5 , , 1.7 , , .5 , , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 4 , , 22.4 , , .375 , , – , , .882 , , 5.4 , , 3.2 , , .6 , , .2 , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

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 ...

† , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 15 , , 15 , , 14.1 , , .533 , , .000 , , .765 , , 3.8 , , .8 , , .5 , , .3 , , 5.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

† , style="text-align:left;", Golden State , 7 , , 0 , , 3.7 , , .571 , , – , , .750 , , 1.7 , , .1 , , .4 , , .1 , , 2.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 73 , , 26 , , 16.4 , , .446 , , .000 , , .738 , , 4.4 , , .8 , , .5 , , .3 , , 5.0

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2001–02 , style="text-align:left;", Ülkerspor , 13 , , 1 , , 7.4 , , .536 , , .000 , , .733 , , 1.8 , , .2 , , .3 , , .1 , , 3.2 , , 3.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2002–03 , style="text-align:left;", Ülkerspor , 14 , , 2 , , 10.4 , , .467 , , .000 , , .625 , , 2.9 , , .3 , , .5 , , .5 , , 4.4 , , 4.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 2 , , 15.1 , , .389 , , .000 , , .600 , , 4.5 , , .5 , , .5 , , .5 , , 6.5 , , 6.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 31 , , 5 , , 10.0 , , .473 , , .000 , , .642 , , 2.6 , , .3, , .4 , , .1 , , 4.2 , , 4.6

National team

''Source''

References

External links

Pachulia's official website

Zaza Pachulia
at euroleague.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Pachulia, Zaza 1984 births Living people Atlanta Hawks players Centers (basketball) Charlotte Bobcats expansion draft picks Dallas Mavericks players Detroit Pistons players Expatriate basketball people from Georgia (country) in the United States Expatriate basketball players in Turkey Expatriate sportspeople from Georgia (country) in Turkey Galatasaray S.K. (men's basketball) players Golden State Warriors players Men's basketball players from Georgia (country) Milwaukee Bucks players Mingrelians National Basketball Association players from Georgia (country) Orlando Magic draft picks Orlando Magic players Recipients of the Order of Honor (Georgia) Basketball players from Tbilisi Ülker G.S.K. basketball players