Zaza Pachulia

Infobox NBA player
name = Zaza Pachulia
ზაზა ფაჩულია

---

caption = Pachulia with the Hawks in 2008
league = NBA
number = 27
height_ft = 6
height_in = 11
weight_lbs = 280
weight_kg = 127
position = Center/Power forward
birth_date = birth date and age|1984|2|10
birth_place = Tbilisi, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, USSR
team = Atlanta Hawks
nationality = Georgian
draft = 42nd overall
draft_year = 2003
draft_team = Orlando Magic
career_start = 1999
former_teams = Ülkerspor (1999–2003)
Orlando Magic (2003–04)
Milwaukee Bucks (2004–05)

Zaza Pachulia, born Zaur Pachulia [http://www.nba.com/hawks/news/Hawks_Sign_Zaza_Pachulia_081105.html HAWKS: Hawks Sign Zaza Pachulia] , Aug. 11, 2005; article retrieved March 21, 2007] ( _ka. ზაზა ფაჩულია) (born February 10 1984 in Tbilisi, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, USSR (present Georgia)), is a Georgian professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA. His nickname is Balboa. [ [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 ] ]

Early athletic career

Pachulia was a very successful basketball player at a very early age in Georgia. He was approximately 6 feet 8 inches (2.04 meters) 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 national basketball team of Georgia at a young age and led his team as a center to beat other Eastern European rivals, such as Belarus and Bulgaria. On August 13, 2008, he was a guest on CNN, discussing the invasion of Georgia by Russia. He indicated he speaks to his family "several times a day", since they are still in Georgia. He felt USA, being such a huge and powerful country, must do everything it can to "stop such aggression" in the world.

National Basketball Association

After distinguishing himself with Ülkerspor, Pachulia was drafted in the second round by Orlando Magic in 2003 NBA Draft. Zaza ended up spending the 2004-05 season with the Milwaukee Bucks to whom he was traded from the Charlotte Bobcats, by whom he was selected in the 2004 expansion draft. [ [http://www.nba.com/bobcats/news/press_release_trades_062304.html Bobcats Acquire Draft Picks In Two Trades] ] While with the Bucks, Pachulia averaged 6.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game off the bench. After spending one season with the Bucks, the Atlanta Hawks became interested in him.

Pachulia signed a contract with the Atlanta Hawks 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. He currently plays for the Atlanta Hawks.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

-
align="left" | 2003–04
align="left" | Orlando
59 || 2 || 11.3 || .389 || .000 || .644 || 2.9 || .2 || .4 || .2 || 3.3
-
align="left" | 2004–05
align="left" | Milwaukee
74 || 4 || 18.9 || .452 || .000 || .746 || 5.1 || .8 || .6 || .5 || 6.2
-
align="left" | 2005–06
align="left" | Atlanta
78 || 78 || 31.4 || .451 || .000 || .735 || 7.9 || 1.7 || 1.1 || .5 || 11.7
-
align="left" | 2006–07
align="left" | Atlanta
72 || 47 || 28.1 || .474 || .000 || .786 || 6.9 || 1.5 || 1.1 || .5 || 12.2
-
align="left" | 2007–08
align="left" | Atlanta
62 || 5 || 15.2 || .437 || .000 || .706 || 4.0 || .6 || .4 || .2 || 5.2
-
align="left" | Career
align="left" |
345 || 136 || 21.7 || .451 || .000 || .742 || 5.5 || 1.0 || .7 || .3 || 8.0
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

Playoffs

-
align="left" | 2007–08
align="left" | Atlanta
7 || 0 || 15.0 || .280 || .000 || .714 || 2.9 || .3 || .3 || .0 || 4.1
-
align="left" | Career
align="left" |
7 || 0 || 15.0 || .280 || .000 || .714 || 2.9 || .3 || .3 || .0 || 4.1
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

Notes

External links

* [http://www.zazapachulia.com/ Zaza Pachulia's Official Website]
* [http://www.nba.com/playerfile/zaza_pachulia/ NBA.com Profile - Zaur Pachulia]
* [http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/pachuza01.html Career statistics at Basketball-reference.com]