Zaza Pachulia facts for kids
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Pachulia with the Golden State Warriors in 2017
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| Golden State Warriors | |
|---|---|
| Consultant | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 10 February 1984 Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Nationality | Georgian / Turkish |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 270 lb (122 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA Draft | 2003 / Round: 2 / Pick: 42nd overall |
| Selected by the Orlando Magic | |
| Pro career | 1999–2019 |
| League | NBA |
| Career history | |
| 1999–2003 | Ülkerspor |
| 2003–2004 | Orlando Magic |
| 2004–2005 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2005–2013 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 2011 | Galatasaray |
| 2013–2015 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2015–2016 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2016–2018 | Golden State Warriors |
| 2018–2019 | Detroit Pistons |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As executive:
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 7,414 (6.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 6,315 (5.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,433 (1.3 apg) |
Zaza Pachulia (Georgian: ზაზა ფაჩულია; born 10 February 1984) is a Georgian basketball expert and former player. He works as a consultant for the Golden State Warriors in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Zaza started his professional basketball journey in Turkey when he was a teenager. He was picked by the Orlando Magic in the 2003 NBA draft. During his 16 years in the NBA, he played for seven different teams. He won two NBA championships with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018. Zaza also led the Georgian national team as their captain in many tournaments. He was sometimes involved in controversial plays, like when he injured Kawhi Leonard during the 2017 playoffs.
Contents
- Zaza's Basketball Journey
- Early Career in Turkey (1999–2003)
- Joining the NBA: Orlando Magic (2003–2004)
- Playing for the Milwaukee Bucks (2004–2005)
- Time with the Atlanta Hawks (2005–2011)
- Playing in Turkey During the NBA Lockout (2011)
- Back to Atlanta (2011–2013)
- Second Stint with the Milwaukee Bucks (2013–2015)
- Dallas Mavericks Season (2015–2016)
- Winning Championships with Golden State Warriors (2016–2018)
- Detroit Pistons (2018–2019)
- Life After Playing: Executive Career
- Personal Life
- Career Statistics
- More to Explore
Zaza's Basketball Journey
Early Career in Turkey (1999–2003)
Zaza Pachulia started playing basketball very young in his home country, Georgia. By age 13, he was already about 6 feet 8 inches tall! A professional team from Turkey, Ülkerspor, noticed his talent and signed him when he was a teenager. He also played for Georgia's junior national basketball team, leading them in various competitions.
Joining the NBA: Orlando Magic (2003–2004)
Because of his great performance with Ülkerspor, Zaza was chosen in the second round of the 2003 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic. This was his big step into the NBA.
Playing for the Milwaukee Bucks (2004–2005)
After being picked by the Charlotte Bobcats in a special draft, Zaza was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He played the 2004–05 season with them. Coming off the bench, he averaged 6.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
Time with the Atlanta Hawks (2005–2011)
In 2005, Zaza signed with the Atlanta Hawks. He became their main center and had a great season, averaging 11.7 points and 7.9 rebounds. He started as the main center in the next season but later played off the bench. Zaza signed a new contract with the Hawks in July 2009.
Playing in Turkey During the NBA Lockout (2011)
During a time when NBA games were paused in 2011, Zaza went back to Turkey. He played for Galatasaray in the Turkish Basketball League.
Back to Atlanta (2011–2013)
Zaza returned to the Atlanta Hawks in December 2011 and continued to play for them until 2013.
Second Stint with the Milwaukee Bucks (2013–2015)
On July 17, 2013, Zaza signed with the Milwaukee Bucks again. In March 2015, he had an amazing game against the Brooklyn Nets. He scored 22 points and grabbed 21 rebounds, which was a record for the Bucks team.
Dallas Mavericks Season (2015–2016)
In July 2015, Zaza was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. In his first game, he scored 10 points and had 10 rebounds. By January 2016, he reached 100 career "double-doubles" (scoring double digits in two different stats, like points and rebounds). He even came close to being voted into the NBA All-Star Game that year!
Winning Championships with Golden State Warriors (2016–2018)
First Championship (2016–17 season)
Zaza joined the Golden State Warriors in July 2016. He helped the Warriors win 67 games in the regular season. During the playoffs, in a game against the Spurs, Zaza was involved in a play that led to Kawhi Leonard getting injured. This meant Leonard couldn't play for the rest of the series. Zaza said he didn't mean to hurt him, but some people criticized the play. The Warriors went on to win the NBA championship, beating the Cavaliers 4-1 in the 2017 NBA Finals. Zaza became the first player from Georgia to win an NBA Championship!
Second Championship (2017–18 season)
Zaza re-signed with the Warriors in July 2017. In December 2017, he scored a season-high 17 points against the Memphis Grizzlies. In February 2018, another controversial play happened when Zaza fell near Russell Westbrook's knee. Westbrook thought it was on purpose, but the NBA said Zaza would not be punished. In June 2018, Zaza won his second straight championship with the Warriors, as they swept the Cavaliers in the Finals.
Detroit Pistons (2018–2019)
On July 15, 2018, Zaza signed with the Detroit Pistons. This was his last team as a player.
Life After Playing: Executive Career
On August 29, 2019, Zaza Pachulia stopped playing basketball professionally. He rejoined the Warriors, but this time as a consultant in their basketball operations department. In this new role, he won his third NBA championship in 2022 when the Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics.
Personal Life
Zaza legally changed his first name from Zaur to Zaza. He is married to Tika, and they have two sons, Davit and Saba, and a daughter, Mariam. From 2004 to 2016, Zaza hosted free summer basketball camps for children in Georgia. In 2016, he opened his own basketball academy in his hometown of Tbilisi.
In 2017, the president of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili, gave Zaza the Order of Honor. Zaza also has Turkish citizenship.
Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | Orlando | 59 | 2 | 11.3 | .389 | – | .644 | 2.9 | .2 | .4 | .2 | 3.3 | |
| 2004–05 | Milwaukee | 74 | 4 | 18.9 | .452 | .000 | .746 | 5.1 | .8 | .6 | .5 | 6.2 | |
| Template:Nbil | 14 seasons | 965 | 510 | 21.0 | .472 | .000 | .754 | 6.0 | 1.4 | .7 | .3 | 7.0 | |
| Career | 1,098 | 516 | 20.3 | .469 | .000 | .751 | 5.8 | 1.3 | .7 | .3 | 6.8 | ||
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Atlanta | 7 | 0 | 15.0 | .280 | .000 | .714 | 2.9 | .3 | .3 | .0 | 4.1 |
| 2009 | Atlanta | 11 | 1 | 23.6 | .415 | – | .762 | 6.9 | .3 | .5 | .3 | 6.9 |
| 2010 | Atlanta | 11 | 0 | 14.6 | .514 | – | .625 | 3.5 | .3 | .2 | .6 | 4.6 |
| 2011 | Atlanta | 11 | 0 | 17.7 | .478 | – | .773 | 4.9 | 1.2 | .2 | .1 | 3.5 |
| 2015 | Milwaukee | 6 | 6 | 21.5 | .400 | – | .615 | 6.7 | 1.5 | 1.7 | .5 | 6.7 |
| 2016 | Dallas | 5 | 4 | 22.4 | .375 | – | .882 | 5.4 | 3.2 | .6 | .2 | 6.6 |
| 2017† | Golden State | 15 | 15 | 14.1 | .533 | .000 | .765 | 3.8 | .8 | .5 | .3 | 5.1 |
| 2018† | Golden State | 7 | 0 | 3.7 | .571 | – | .750 | 1.7 | .1 | .4 | .1 | 2.4 |
| 2019 | Detroit | 2 | 0 | 10.9 | .333 | – | .500 | 4.5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 2.5 |
| Career | 75 | 26 | 16.3 | .443 | .000 | .735 | 4.4 | .8 | .5 | .3 | 4.9 | |
EuroLeague
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | Ülkerspor | 13 | 1 | 7.4 | .536 | .000 | .733 | 1.8 | .2 | .3 | .1 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
| 2002–03 | Ülkerspor | 14 | 2 | 10.4 | .467 | .000 | .625 | 2.9 | .3 | .5 | .5 | 4.4 | 4.8 |
| 2011–12 | Galatasaray | 4 | 2 | 15.1 | .389 | .000 | .600 | 4.5 | .5 | .5 | .5 | 6.5 | 6.8 |
| Career | 31 | 5 | 10.0 | .473 | .000 | .642 | 2.6 | .3 | .4 | .1 | 4.2 | 4.6 | |
National team
Source
| Year | Competition | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | EuroBasket qualification Preliminary Round | 5 | 23.4 | .511 | .000 | .750 | 6.8 | 1.0 | 2.0 | .0 | 12.6 |
| 2003 | EuroBasket qualification Qualifying Round | 5 | 27.6 | .468 | .250 | .576 | 10.8 | .0 | 2.4 | .6 | 15.6 |
| 2005 | EuroBasket 2005 Division B | 6 | 31.3 | .595 | .000 | .760 | 13.0 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 21.0 |
| 2007 | EuroBasket 2007 Division B | 8 | 32.8 | .452 | .000 | .722 | 8.9 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 19.9 |
| 2009 | EuroBasket 2009 Division B | 10 | 29.4 | .508 | .000 | .671 | 8.5 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 17.9 |
| 2011 | EuroBasket 2011 qualification | 8 | 28.6 | .476 | .000 | .676 | 7.5 | 1.8 | .9 | .5 | 15.8 |
| 2011 | EuroBasket 2011 | 5 | 25.8 | .472 | .000 | .857 | 4.4 | .6 | 1.0 | .6 | 13.6 |
| 2013 | EuroBasket 2013 qualification | 5 | 29.6 | .574 | .000 | .657 | 7.6 | 1.0 | .8 | .2 | 18.6 |
| 2015 | EuroBasket 2015 qualification | 6 | 32.5 | .466 | .000 | .725 | 7.8 | 3.3 | 1.5 | .7 | 17.5 |
| 2015 | EuroBasket 2015 | 6 | 26.7 | .474 | .000 | .844 | 6.3 | 3.0 | 1.0 | .3 | 13.5 |
| 2017 | EuroBasket 2017 qualification | 6 | 26.2 | .475 | .000 | .921 | 7.7 | 4.3 | 1.2 | .5 | 15.2 |
| 2017 | EuroBasket 2017 | 5 | 26.1 | .447 | .000 | .758 | 9.2 | 1.6 | .8 | .2 | 13.4 |
More to Explore
In Spanish: Zaza Pachulia para niños
- List of European basketball players in the United States
