Zaza Pachulia Explained

Zaza Pachulia
Team:Golden State Warriors
Position:Consultant
League:NBA
Height Ft:6
Height In:11
Weight Lb:270
Nationality:Georgian / Turkish
Birth Date:10 February 1984
Birth Place:Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Draft Year:2003
Draft Round:2
Draft Pick:42
Draft Team:Orlando Magic
Career Start:1999
Career End:2019
Career Position:Center
Career Number:27
Years1:1999–2003
Team1:Ülkerspor
Team2:Orlando Magic
Team3:Milwaukee Bucks
Years4:–
Team4:Atlanta Hawks
Years5:2011
Team5:Galatasaray
Years6:–
Team6:Milwaukee Bucks
Team7:Dallas Mavericks
Years8:–
Team8:Golden State Warriors
Team9:Detroit Pistons
Highlights:As player:

As executive:

Stats League:NBA
Stat1label:Points
Stat1value:7,414 (6.8 ppg)
Stat2label:Rebounds
Stat2value:6,315 (5.8 rpg)
Stat3label:Assists
Stat3value:1,433 (1.3 apg)

Zaza Pachulia (Georgian: ზაზა ფაჩულია; in Georgian pronounced as /zaza patʃʰulia/ born Zaur Pachulia; 10 February 1984)[1] is a Georgian professional basketball executive and former player who is a basketball operations consultant for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Beginning his professional career in Turkey as a teenager, Pachulia was drafted in the second round of the 2003 draft by the Orlando Magic. He played for seven teams in his 16-year NBA career, winning two championships with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018. He also played for the Georgia national team, captaining them in multiple tournaments.[2] Pachulia also had a reputation of being a "dirty" player, notably injuring Kawhi Leonard during the 2017 playoffs.[3]

Professional career

Ülkerspor (1999–2003)

Pachulia started playing basketball at an early age in Georgia. He was approximately 6feet 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.[4]

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.

Milwaukee Bucks (2004–2005)

After being selected in the 2004 expansion draft by the Charlotte Bobcats, Pachulia was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, where he played the 2004–05 season.[5] 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[6] 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 led one writer to dub Pachulia "Balboa" after the lead character from the Rocky series of movies.[7] Pachulia re-signed with the Hawks on July 13, 2009, agreeing to a multi-year contract.[8]

Galatasaray (2011)

During the 2011 NBA lockout, Pachulia signed with Galatasaray of the Turkish Basketball League.[9]

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.[10] On March 20, 2015, he recorded 22 points and 21 rebounds in a 129–127 overtime loss to the Brooklyn Nets. His 21 rebounds included 18 offensive rebounds, which marked an NBA season high and a Bucks franchise record.[11]

Dallas Mavericks (2015–2016)

On July 9, 2015, Pachulia was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for a future second-round pick.[12] 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.[13] On December 26, he recorded his 16th double-double of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds against the Chicago Bulls, surpassing his 2014–15 season total.[14] 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.[15] Later that month, he came within 14,227 votes of knocking out San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard for a starting spot on the West All-Star team for the 2016 NBA All-Star Game.[16] 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.[17]

Golden State Warriors (2016–2018)

2016–17 season

On July 12, 2016, Pachulia signed with the Golden State Warriors.[18] 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.[19] 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,[20] which ruled out Leonard for the rest of the series and effectively ended San Antonio's season.[21] While Pachulia denied that he intended to injure Leonard, he was instantly dubbed a villain by the public and media.[22] The Warriors went on to win the NBA championship after defeating the Cavaliers 4–1 in the 2017 NBA Finals. Pachulia made history for Georgia by becoming the first player from the country to win an NBA Championship.[23] The Warriors finished the playoffs with a 16–1 record, the best postseason winning percentage in NBA history.[24]

2017–18 season

On July 25, 2017, Pachulia re-signed with the Warriors.[25] 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.[26]

In a game against the Thunder on February 25, 2018, Pachulia again caused controversy as he fell onto Russell Westbrook'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.[27] Teammate Kevin Durant later defended Pachulia stating that he had gotten his feet tangled up with Nick Young in the incident,[28] but Pachulia was criticized by many players, coaches and pundits such as Paul George,[27] Kyrie Irving,[29] Gregg Popovich,[30] 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.[31] 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.

Detroit Pistons (2018–2019)

On July 15, 2018, Pachulia signed with the Detroit Pistons.[32]

Executive career

On August 29, 2019, Pachulia retired from playing and re-joined the Warriors as a front office consultant in their basketball operations department.[33] [34] He won his third NBA championship after the Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in six games in the 2022 NBA Finals.

Personal life

Pachulia legally changed his first name from Zaur to Zaza.[1] 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.[35]

In 2017, Pachulia received the Order of Honor from Republic of Georgia president Giorgi Margvelashvili.[36] He also holds Turkish citizenship.[2]

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

|-| style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Orlando| 59 || 2 || 11.3 || .389 || – || .644 || 2.9 || .2 || .4 || .2 || 3.3|-| style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee| 74 || 4 || 18.9 || .452 || .000 || .746 || 5.1 || .8 || .6 || .5 || 6.2|-| style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta| 78 || 78 || 31.4 || .451 || .000 || .735 || 7.9 || 1.7 || 1.1 || .5 || 11.7|-| style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta| 72 || 47 || 28.1 || .474 || .000 || .786 || 6.9 || 1.5 || 1.1 || .5 || 12.2|-| style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta| 62 || 5 || 15.2 || .437 || .000 || .706 || 4.0 || .6 || .4 || .2 || 5.2|-| style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta| 77 || 26 || 19.1 || .497 || .000 || .709 || 5.7 || .7 || .5 || .3 || 6.2|-| style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta| 78 || 1 || 14.0 || .488 || .000 || .650 || 3.8 || .5 || .5 || .4 || 4.3|-| style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta| 79 || 7 || 15.7 || .461 || – || .754 || 4.2 || .7 || .4 || .3 || 4.4|-| style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta| 58 || 44 || 28.3 || .499 || – || .741 || 7.9 || 1.4 || .9 || .5 || 7.8|-| style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta| 52 || 15 || 21.8 || .473 || .000 || .757 || 6.5 || 1.5 || .7 || .2 || 5.9|-| style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee| 53 || 43 || 25.0 || .427 || .000 || .846 || 6.3 || 2.6 || .8 || .3 || 7.7|-| style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee| 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| 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| 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| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta| 7 || 0 || 15.0 || .280 || .000 || .714 || 2.9 || .3 || .3 || .0 || 4.1|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2009| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta| 11 || 1 || 23.6 || .415 || – || .762 || 6.9 || .3 || .5 || .3 || 6.9|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2010| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta| 11 || 0 || 14.6 || .514 || – || .625 || 3.5 || .3 || .2 || .6 || 4.6|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2011| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta| 11 || 0 || 17.7 || .478 || – || .773 || 4.9 || 1.2 || .2 || .1 || 3.5|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2015| style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee| 6 || 6 || 21.5 || .400 || – || .615 || 6.7 || 1.5 || 1.7 || .5 || 6.7|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2016| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas| 5 || 4 || 22.4 || .375 || – || .882 || 5.4 || 3.2 || .6 || .2 || 6.6|-| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| 2017†| 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†| 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;"| Galatasaray| 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[37]

YearCompetitionGPMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2003EuroBasket qualification Preliminary Round5 23.4 .511 .000 .750 6.8 1.0 2.0 .0 12.6
2003EuroBasket qualification Qualifying Round5 27.6 .468 .250 .576 10.8 .0 2.4 .6 15.6
2005EuroBasket 2005 Division B6 31.3 .595 .000 .760 13.0 1.8 1.8 1.0 21.0
2007EuroBasket 2007 Division B8 32.8 .452 .000 .722 8.9 1.9 1.3 1.9 19.9
2009EuroBasket 2009 Division B10 29.4 .508 .000 .671 8.5 1.6 1.2 1.4 17.9
2011EuroBasket 2011 qualification8 28.6 .476 .000 .676 7.5 1.8 .9 .5 15.8
2011EuroBasket 20115 25.8 .472 .000 .857 4.4 .6 1.0 .6 13.6
2013EuroBasket 2013 qualification5 29.6 .574 .000 .657 7.6 1.0 .8 .2 18.6
2015EuroBasket 2015 qualification6 32.5 .466 .000 .725 7.8 3.3 1.5 .7 17.5
2015EuroBasket 20156 26.7 .474 .000 .844 6.3 3.0 1.0 .3 13.5
2017EuroBasket 2017 qualification6 26.2 .475 .000 .921 7.7 4.3 1.2 .5 15.2
2017EuroBasket 20175 26.1 .447 .000 .758 9.2 1.6 .8 .2 13.4

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Zaza Pachulia. Milwaukee Bucks. July 2, 2018.
  2. Web site: Atlanta Hawks: If NBA lockout lingers, Zaza Pachulia may play in Turkey . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110910003939/http://blogs.ajc.com/hawks/2011/07/08/atlanta-hawks-if-lockout-lingers-zaza-pachulia-may-play-in-turkey/ . 2011-09-10 .
  3. Web site: Here's the history of Zaza Pachulia's dirty plays that Gregg Popovich was so mad about . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180910003939/https://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/05/nba-playoffs-zaza-pachulia-dirty-plays-video-kawhi-leonard-injury-gregg-popovich-spurs-warriors . 2018-09-10 .
  4. News: 10 things to know about Mavs center Zaza Pachulia, including his fashion sense, fights with other NBA players. 19 January 2017. SportsDay. Dallas News. 1 October 2015. en.
  5. http://www.nba.com/bobcats/news/press_release_trades_062304.html Bobcats Acquire Draft Picks In Two Trades
  6. http://www.nba.com/hawks/news/Hawks_Sign_Zaza_Pachulia_081105.html Hawks Sign Zaza Pachulia
  7. http://www.nba.com/hawks/feature/Everything_You_Need_050208.html HAWKS: Everything You Need To Know About...Hawks vs Celtics | Game 6 | May 2, 2008
  8. Web site: HAWKS SIGN MIKE BIBBY, ZAZA PACHULIA . . 2009-07-13 . 2011-04-24.
  9. http://www.euroleague.net/news/i/87931/180 Galatasaray brings in Zaza Pachulia
  10. http://www.nba.com/bucks/release/bucks-sign-free-agent-center-zaza-pachulia Bucks Sign Free Agent Center Zaza Pachulia
  11. http://www.nba.com/games/20150320/MILBKN/gameinfo.html Lopez, Nets pull out 3-overtime victory over slumping Bucks
  12. Web site: Mavericks Acquire center Zaza Pachulia from Bucks. NBA.com. July 9, 2015. July 14, 2015.
  13. Web site: 8 Dallas players reach double figures, Mavs rout Suns 111–95. NBA.com. October 28, 2015. October 28, 2015.
  14. Web site: Barea hits career-high 7 3s, Mavericks top Bulls 118–111. NBA.com. December 26, 2015. December 27, 2015.
  15. Web site: LeBron has 27, Cavs win 8th in row, 110–107 over Mavs in OT. NBA.com. January 12, 2016. January 13, 2016.
  16. Web site: Duffy. Thomas . Mavs C Zaza Pachulia Was 14K Votes Away from Being All-Star Starter. BleacherReport.com. January 21, 2016. January 22, 2016.
  17. Web site: Wade's bounce-back, Bosh's 20 lead Heat over Mavericks 93–90. NBA.com. February 3, 2016. February 4, 2016.
  18. Web site: Warriors Sign Free Agent Center Zaza Pachulia. NBA.com. July 12, 2016. July 12, 2016.
  19. Web site: Zaza Pachulia 2016–17 Game Log. Basketball-Reference.com. December 23, 2016.
  20. Web site: Malinowski. Erin. Kawhi Leonard's Injury Is a Shame, but Was Zaza Pachulia's Play Really Dirty?. bleacherreport.com. May 16, 2017. November 1, 2017.
  21. Web site: Bushnell. Henry. The NBA is cracking down on dangerous Zaza-esque closeouts. Yahoo.com. September 22, 2017. November 1, 2017.
  22. Web site: Bushnell. Henry. Warriors' Zaza Pachulia, family threatened after Kawhi Leonard incident. USAToday.com. May 21, 2017. November 1, 2017.
  23. Web site: Zaza Pachulia becomes Georgia's first NBA champion. agenda.ge. June 13, 2017. June 14, 2017.
  24. News: Warriors (16–1) Record Best Postseason Winning Percentage in NBA History. Bleacher Report. 2017-06-18. en-US.
  25. Web site: Warriors Re-Sign Curry, Durant, Iguodala, Livingston, Pachulia and West to Contracts. NBA.com. July 25, 2017. July 25, 2017.
  26. Web site: Curry makes season-best 10 3-pointers in return from injury. ESPN.com. December 30, 2017. December 30, 2017.
  27. Web site: Russell Westbrook, Paul George call out Zaza Pachulia after dangerous fall. February 25, 2018. March 5, 2018. NBA.com.
  28. Web site: Kevin Durant Defends Zaza Pachulia After Fall on Russell Westbrook: He's Clumsy. Scott. Polacek. February 25, 2018. March 5, 2018. Bleacher Report.
  29. Web site: Kyrie Irving calls Zaza Pachulia's fall on Russell Westbrook "unacceptable". Dane. Carbaugh. NBC Sports. Yahoo Sports. March 2, 2018. March 5, 2018.
  30. Web site: Zaza Pachulia Says Russell Westbrook Calling Him a Dirty Player Is 'Childish'. Timmothy. Rapp. February 25, 2018. March 5, 2018. Bleacher Report.
  31. Web site: Zaza Pachulia Says Russell Westbrook Calling Him a Dirty Player Is 'Childish'. February 26, 2018. March 5, 2018. Sports Illustrated. Charlotte. Carroll.
  32. Web site: Detroit Pistons sign free agent Zaza Pachulia. NBA.com. July 15, 2018. July 15, 2018.
  33. Web site: Kent. Austin. ZAZA PACHULIA RETIRES, JOINS WARRIORS AS CONSULTANT. Slamonline.com. August 29, 2019. August 29, 2019.
  34. Web site: Warriors Announce Basketball Operations Promotions and Additions. NBA.com. August 29, 2019. August 29, 2019.
  35. News: Zwerling. Jared. Inside Zaza Pachulia's New Sports Academy—with the Bucks Court on Its Way to Europe. 19 January 2017. National Basketball Players Association. 27 May 2016.
  36. Web site: Warriors Center Zaza Pachulia to Receive Order of Honor from Republic of Georgia. NBA.com. August 4, 2017. August 6, 2017.
  37. Web site: Zaza Pachulia – EuroBasket (2015) – FIBA Europe. www.fibaeurope.com. 13 March 2018.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Zaza Pachulia".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.