Zaza Pachulia

Pachulia started playing basketball at an early age in Georgia. He was approximately {{convert|6|ft|8|in|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} 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.{{cite news|title=10 things to know about Mavs center Zaza Pachulia, including his fashion sense, fights with other NBA players|url=http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-mavericks/mavericks/2015/10/01/10-things-know-new-mavs-center-zaza-pachulia-including-one-writer-dubbed-rocky|access-date=19 January 2017|work=SportsDay|publisher=Dallas News|date=1 October 2015|language=en}}

Once he distinguished himself with Ülkerspor, Pachulia was drafted in the second round by the Orlando Magic during the 2003 NBA draft.

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.[http://www.nba.com/hornets/news/press_release_trades_062304.html Bobcats Acquire Draft Picks In Two Trades] While with the Bucks, he averaged 6.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game off the bench.

File:Zaza Pachulia.jpg in May 2008]]

Pachulia signed a contract with the Atlanta Hawks[http://www.nba.com/hawks/news/Hawks_Sign_Zaza_Pachulia_081105.html 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 led one writer to dub Pachulia "Balboa" after the lead character from the Rocky series of movies.[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]. Nba.com. Retrieved on 2017-07-15. Pachulia re-signed with the Hawks on July 13, 2009, agreeing to a multi-year contract.{{cite web | title = HAWKS SIGN MIKE BIBBY, ZAZA PACHULIA | url = http://www.nba.com/hawks/news/Hawks_ReSign_Bibby_Pachulia_071309.html | work = NBA.com | date = 2009-07-13 | access-date = 2011-04-24}}

During the 2011 NBA lockout, Pachulia signed with Galatasaray of the Turkish Basketball League.[http://www.euroleague.net/news/i/87931/180 Galatasaray brings in Zaza Pachulia]. Euroleague.net (2011-10-07). Retrieved on 2017-07-15.

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

On July 17, 2013, Pachulia signed with the Milwaukee Bucks.[http://www.nba.com/bucks/release/bucks-sign-free-agent-center-zaza-pachulia Bucks Sign Free Agent Center Zaza Pachulia]. Nba.com (2013-07-17). Retrieved on 2017-07-15. 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.[http://www.nba.com/games/20150320/MILBKN/gameinfo.html Lopez, Nets pull out 3-overtime victory over slumping Bucks]. Nba.com. Retrieved on 2017-07-15.

On July 9, 2015, Pachulia was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for a future second-round pick.{{cite web|url=http://www.mavs.com/mavericks-acquire-center-zaza-pachulia-from-bucks/|title=Mavericks Acquire center Zaza Pachulia from Bucks|work=NBA.com|date=July 9, 2015|access-date=July 14, 2015}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/games/20151028/DALPHX/gameinfo.html|title=8 Dallas players reach double figures, Mavs rout Suns 111–95|work=NBA.com|date=October 28, 2015|access-date=October 28, 2015}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/games/20151226/CHIDAL/gameinfo.html|title=Barea hits career-high 7 3s, Mavericks top Bulls 118–111|work=NBA.com|date=December 26, 2015|access-date=December 27, 2015}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/games/20160112/CLEDAL/gameinfo.html|title=LeBron has 27, Cavs win 8th in row, 110–107 over Mavs in OT|work=NBA.com|date=January 12, 2016|access-date=January 13, 2016}} 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.{{cite web|last=Duffy|first=Thomas |url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2609996-mavs-c-zaza-pachulia-was-14k-votes-away-from-being-all-star-starter|title=Mavs C Zaza Pachulia Was 14K Votes Away from Being All-Star Starter|work=BleacherReport.com|date=January 21, 2016|access-date=January 22, 2016}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/games/20160203/MIADAL/gameinfo.html|title=Wade's bounce-back, Bosh's 20 lead Heat over Mavericks 93–90|work=NBA.com|date=February 3, 2016|access-date=February 4, 2016}}

On July 12, 2016, Pachulia signed with the Golden State Warriors.{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/warriors/news/warriors-sign-pachulia-20160712|title=Warriors Sign Free Agent Center Zaza Pachulia|work=NBA.com|date=July 12, 2016|access-date=July 12, 2016}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/pachuza01/gamelog/2017/|title=Zaza Pachulia 2016–17 Game Log|work=Basketball-Reference.com|access-date=December 23, 2016}} 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,{{cite web|last=Malinowski|first=Erin|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2709825-kawhi-leonards-injury-is-a-shame-but-was-zaza-pachulias-play-really-dirty|title=Kawhi Leonard's Injury Is a Shame, but Was Zaza Pachulia's Play Really Dirty?|work=bleacherreport.com|date=May 16, 2017|access-date=November 1, 2017}} which ruled out Leonard for the rest of the series and effectively ended San Antonio's season.{{cite web|last=Bushnell|first=Henry|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-cracking-zaza-esque-closeouts-145844376.html|title=The NBA is cracking down on dangerous Zaza-esque closeouts|work=Yahoo.com|date=September 22, 2017|access-date=November 1, 2017}} While Pachulia denied that he intended to injure Leonard, he was instantly dubbed a villain by the public and media.{{cite web|last=Bushnell|first=Henry|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/playoffs/2017/05/21/warriors-zaza-pachulia-family-threatened-after-kawhi-leonard-incident/101987652/|title=Warriors' Zaza Pachulia, family threatened after Kawhi Leonard incident|work=USAToday.com|date=May 21, 2017|access-date=November 1, 2017}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://agenda.ge/news/81297/eng|title=Zaza Pachulia becomes Georgia's first NBA champion|work=agenda.ge|date=June 13, 2017|access-date=June 14, 2017}} The Warriors finished the playoffs with a 16–1 record, the best postseason winning percentage in NBA history.{{Cite news|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2715556-warriors-16-1-record-best-postseason-winning-percentage-in-nba-history|title=Warriors (16–1) Record Best Postseason Winning Percentage in NBA History|work=Bleacher Report|access-date=2017-06-18|language=en-US}}

On July 25, 2017, Pachulia re-signed with the Warriors.{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/warriors/news/six-players-re-signing-20170725|title=Warriors Re-Sign Curry, Durant, Iguodala, Livingston, Pachulia and West to Contracts|work=NBA.com|date=July 25, 2017|access-date=July 25, 2017}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=400975281|title=Curry makes season-best 10 3-pointers in return from injury|work=ESPN.com|date=December 30, 2017|access-date=December 30, 2017}}

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.{{cite web|title=Russell Westbrook, Paul George call out Zaza Pachulia after dangerous fall|url=http://www.nba.com/article/2018/02/25/russell-westbrook-paul-george-call-out-zaza-pachulia-after-dangerous-fall#/|date=February 25, 2018|access-date=March 5, 2018|website=NBA.com}} Teammate Kevin Durant later defended Pachulia stating that he had gotten his feet tangled up with Nick Young in the incident,{{cite web|title=Kevin Durant Defends Zaza Pachulia After Fall on Russell Westbrook: He's Clumsy|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2761505-kevin-durant-defends-zaza-pachulia-after-fall-on-russell-westbrook-hes-clumsy|first=Scott|last=Polacek|date=February 25, 2018|access-date=March 5, 2018|publisher=Bleacher Report}} but Pachulia was criticized by many players, coaches and pundits such as Paul George, Kyrie Irving,{{cite web|title=Kyrie Irving calls Zaza Pachulia's fall on Russell Westbrook "unacceptable"|first=Dane|last=Carbaugh|work=NBC Sports|publisher=Yahoo Sports|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/kyrie-irving-calls-zaza-pachulia-140018372.html|date=March 2, 2018|access-date=March 5, 2018}} Gregg Popovich,{{cite web|title=Zaza Pachulia Says Russell Westbrook Calling Him a Dirty Player Is 'Childish'|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2761428-zaza-pachulia-says-russell-westbrook-calling-him-a-dirty-player-is-childish|first=Timmothy|last=Rapp|date=February 25, 2018|access-date=March 5, 2018|publisher=Bleacher Report}} 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.{{cite web|title=Zaza Pachulia Says Russell Westbrook Calling Him a Dirty Player Is 'Childish'|url=https://www.si.com/nba/2018/02/26/nba-will-not-discipline-pachulia-westbrook-incident|date=February 26, 2018|access-date=March 5, 2018|publisher=Sports Illustrated|first=Charlotte|last=Carroll}} 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.

On July 15, 2018, Pachulia signed with the Detroit Pistons.{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/article/2018/07/15/pistons-officially-sign-zaza-pachulia|title=Detroit Pistons sign free agent Zaza Pachulia|work=NBA.com|date=July 15, 2018|access-date=July 15, 2018}}

On August 29, 2019, Pachulia retired from playing and re-joined the Warriors as a front office consultant in their basketball operations department.{{cite web|last1=Kent|first1=Austin|title=ZAZA PACHULIA RETIRES, JOINS WARRIORS AS CONSULTANT|url=https://www.slamonline.com/nba/zaza-pachulia-retires-joins-warriors-as-consultant/|website=Slamonline.com|access-date=August 29, 2019|date=August 29, 2019}}{{cite web|title=Warriors Announce Basketball Operations Promotions and Additions|url=https://www.nba.com/warriors/news/basketball-operations-promotions-and-additions-20190829|website=NBA.com|access-date=August 29, 2019|date=August 29, 2019}} He won his third NBA championship after the Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in six games in the 2022 NBA Finals.

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.{{cite news|last1=Zwerling|first1=Jared|title=Inside Zaza Pachulia's New Sports Academy—with the Bucks Court on Its Way to Europe|url=http://nbpa.com/inside-zaza-pachulias-new-sports-academy-with-the-bucks-court-on-its-way-to-europe/|access-date=19 January 2017|publisher=National Basketball Players Association|date=27 May 2016}}

In 2017, Pachulia received the Order of Honor from Republic of Georgia president Giorgi Margvelashvili.{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/warriors/news/pachulia-order-honor-georgia-20170804/|title=Warriors Center Zaza Pachulia to Receive Order of Honor from Republic of Georgia|work=NBA.com|date=August 4, 2017|access-date=August 6, 2017}} He also holds Turkish citizenship.

{{NBA player statistics legend|champion=y}}

{{NBA player statistics start}}

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|2003}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Orlando

| 59 || 2 || 11.3 || .389 || – || .644 || 2.9 || .2 || .4 || .2 || 3.3

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|2004}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee

| 74 || 4 || 18.9 || .452 || .000 || .746 || 5.1 || .8 || .6 || .5 || 6.2

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|2005}}

| 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;"| {{nbay|2006}}

| 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;"| {{nbay|2007}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta

| 62 || 5 || 15.2 || .437 || .000 || .706 || 4.0 || .6 || .4 || .2 || 5.2

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|2008}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta

| 77 || 26 || 19.1 || .497 || .000 || .709 || 5.7 || .7 || .5 || .3 || 6.2

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|2009}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta

| 78 || 1 || 14.0 || .488 || .000 || .650 || 3.8 || .5 || .5 || .4 || 4.3

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|2010}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta

| 79 || 7 || 15.7 || .461 || – || .754 || 4.2 || .7 || .4 || .3 || 4.4

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|2011}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta

| 58 || 44 || 28.3 || .499 || – || .741 || 7.9 || 1.4 || .9 || .5 || 7.8

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|2012}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta

| 52 || 15 || 21.8 || .473 || .000 || .757 || 6.5 || 1.5 || .7 || .2 || 5.9

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|2013}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee

| 53 || 43 || 25.0 || .427 || .000 || .846 || 6.3 || 2.6 || .8 || .3 || 7.7

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|2014}}

| 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;"| {{nbay|2015}}

| 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;"| {{nbay|2016}}†

| 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;"| {{nbay|2017}}†

| 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;"| {{nbay|2018}}

| 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

{{S-end}}

{{NBA player statistics start}}

|-

| 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:left;"| 2019

| style="text-align:left;"| Detroit

| 2 || 0 || 10.9 || .333 || – || .500 || 4.5 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 2.5

|-

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career

| 75 || 26 || 16.3 || .443 || .000 || .735 || 4.4 || .8 || .5 || .3 || 4.9

{{S-end}}

{{Euroleague player statistics start}}

|-

| 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

{{S-end}}

Source{{cite web|url=http://www.fibaeurope.com/compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_2015.roundID_9322.playerID_30577.teamID_2187.html|title=Zaza Pachulia – EuroBasket (2015) – FIBA Europe|website=www.fibaeurope.com|access-date=13 March 2018}}

{{Portal|Sports}}

• List of European basketball players in the United States

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{commons}}

{{basketballstats|nba=zaza_pachulia|bbr=p/pachuza01}}

• [http://www.zazapachulia.com/ Pachulia's official website]
• [http://www.euroleague.net/competition/players/showplayer?pcode=AWO Zaza Pachulia] at euroleague.net

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{{2003 NBA draft}}

{{Golden State Warriors 2016–17 NBA champions}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pachulia, Zaza}}

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