Zaza Pachulia is a Turkish-Georgian professional basketball player who currently plays as a center for the Golden State Warriors with whom he won his first NBA championship. He received the Order of Honor from his country’s president, Giorgi Margvelashvili, upon his return with the Larry O’Brien Trophy in August 2017.
The 6ft 11in big man is considered a bad guy in the NBA by fans and was dubbed “Zaza Per Cheat Shot” by popular NBA analyst Skip Bayless because of the increased number of questionable incidents that led his opponents to get injured during matches. His victims are Russell Westbrook and Kawhi Leonard.
the biography
Zaza Pachulia was born Zaur Pachulia on February 10, 1984, in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union. He started playing basketball at a very early age, probably because he was always the tallest of all his friends and seemed like a good fit with his physical attributes. It is reported that at the age of 13, Zaza was around six feet eight inches tall.
At 15, Zaza left his native Georgia to go to Turkey and pursue a career in basketball. By this time, he had already legally changed his name from Zaur to Zaza. He had also previously been a member of the Georgian junior national basketball team where he was widely scouted by Turkish professional team Ülkerspor which he joined and started playing as a teenager.
In his four-year stay in Turkey, Zaza played a total of 73 games for his team and won three titles; 2001 and 2002 Turkish President’s Cup, and 2001 Turkish National Championship. Meanwhile, the teenager is averaging 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
Zaza Pachulia was then drafted by the OrlandoMagie in the second round of the 2003 NBA draft with the 42nd pick. The Charlotte Bobcats then selected him in the 2004 expansion draft before trading him to the Milwaukee Bucks. While with the Bucks, Pachulia played a key role from the bench, averaging 6.2 points and 5.1 rebounds.
During the 2005 off-season, Pachulia signed a contract with the Atlanta Hawks to become the teams starting center. He played a total of 78 games that year and was highly effective on the field with his offensive rebounds, ranking third in the NBA in offensive rebounds per game and fifth overall in total offensive rebounds. He endeared himself to Hawks fans for his aggressiveness, all the more so after facing future Hall of Famer and then Celtics star Kevin Garnett.
Pachulia played with the Hawks for 8 years before returning to Milwaukee. During that time, however, the Turkish nationality holder played for Galatasaray of the Turkish Basketball League during the NBA lockout in 2011.
In 2015, the Bucks traded him to the Dallas Mavericks. In Dallas, Pachulia had his first All-Star appearance at the 2016 NBA All-Star Game. He was such a favorite that he barely missed a top-five finish. That same year, he set a career career high with a brace in 22 games in a single season.
The following year, he signed for the GoldenState Warriors where he won his first NBA championship. It was, however, along the way, in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, that he injured Kawhi Leonard, which led to him being ruled out for the season and the Spurs from lose their huge lead in the game before they happen. get swept up in the series.
Another incident occurred in the regular season game against Oklahoma City Thunder when Zaza fell on Russell Westbrook’s knee after a play. Replays showed the big man may have been intentionally clumsy and Westbrook said he thought that Zaza wanted to hurt him.
Zaza Pachulia Salary and Net Worth
Zaza Pachulia currently earns an annual salary of $3,477,600 with the Golden State Warriors. His net worth is said to be around $13 million and is expected to increase by around 100% in the coming years, thanks to the growing popularity of the NBA around the world.
He is also a serious entrepreneur and has even gone so far as to take management courses at Harvard Business School, Georgia State and Northwestern University.
Family; wife and children
Zaza Pachulia is married to his wife Tika, with whom he has three children; two sons (Davit and Saba) and a daughter (Mariam). The family owns a home in Atlanta, Georgia, where they have lived since 2011.
Height, weight and other facts
Birth name: Zaza Pachulia
Date of birth: February 10, 1984
Place of birth: Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Nationality: Georgian
Height: 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Weight: 270 lbs (122 kg)
Size: 17 US
Favorite music: Hip-Hop (Jay-Z and 50 Cent)
Favorite dish : Steak and pasta
