_(cropped).jpg) Pachulia with theGolden State Warriors in 2017 | |
| Golden State Warriors | |
|---|---|
| Title | Consultant |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1984-02-10)10 February 1984 (age 41) |
| Nationality | Georgian / Turkish |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 270 lb (122 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2003: 2nd round, 42nd overall pick |
| Drafted by | Orlando Magic |
| Playing career | 1999–2019 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 27 |
| 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 | |
As player:
As executive: | |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 7,414 (6.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 6,315 (5.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,433 (1.3 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Zaza Pachulia (Georgian:ზაზა ფაჩულია;Georgian pronunciation:[zazapatʃʰulia] bornZaur Pachulia; 10 February 1984)[1] is a Georgian professionalbasketball executive and former player who is a basketball operations consultant for theGolden State Warriors of theNational Basketball Association (NBA).
Beginning his professional career in Turkey as a teenager, Pachulia was drafted in the second round of the2003 NBA draft by theOrlando 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 theGeorgia national team, captaining them in multiple tournaments.[2] Pachulia also had a reputation of being a "dirty" player, notably injuringKawhi Leonard during the 2017 playoffs that led to a rule change named after him, called the "Zaza rule".[3]
Pachulia started playing basketball at an early age inGeorgia. He was approximately 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 meters) at the age of 13. He was scouted and recruited by the Turkish professional teamÜlkerspor 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]
Once he distinguished himself with Ülkerspor, Pachulia was drafted in the second round by theOrlando Magic during the 2003 NBA draft.
After being selected in the 2004 expansion draft by theCharlotte Bobcats, Pachulia was traded to theMilwaukee Bucks, where he played the2004–05 season.[5] While with the Bucks, he averaged 6.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game off the bench.
Pachulia signed a contract with theAtlanta 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 the2005–06 season. He began as the starting center during the2006–07 season but later came off the bench. An on-court altercation between the relatively obscure Pachulia and Celtics starKevin Garnett led one writer to dub Pachulia "Balboa" after the lead character from theRocky series of movies.[7] Pachulia re-signed with the Hawks on July 13, 2009, agreeing to a multi-year contract.[8]
During the2011 NBA lockout, Pachulia signed withGalatasaray of theTurkish Basketball League.[9]
Pachulia returned to the Hawks in December 2011, playing with them until 2013.
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 theBrooklyn Nets. His 21 rebounds included 18 offensive rebounds, which marked an NBA season high and a Bucks franchise record.[11]
On July 9, 2015, Pachulia was traded to theDallas Mavericks in exchange for a future second-round pick.[12] He made his debut for the Mavericks in the team's season opener against thePhoenix 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 theChicago 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 theCleveland Cavaliers.[15] Later that month, he came within 14,227 votes of knocking outSan Antonio Spurs small forwardKawhi Leonard for a starting spot on the West All-Star team for the2016 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]
On July 12, 2016, Pachulia signed with theGolden 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 the2017 NBA Finals. Pachulia made history forGeorgia 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]
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 theMemphis Grizzlies.[26]
In a game against the Thunder on February 25, 2018, Pachulia again caused controversy as he fell ontoRussell 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] TeammateKevin Durant later defended Pachulia stating that he had gotten his feet tangled up withNick Young in the incident,[28] but Pachulia was criticized by many players, coaches and pundits such asPaul 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 theFinals.
On July 15, 2018, Pachulia signed with theDetroit Pistons.[32]
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 thirdNBA championship after the Warriors defeated theBoston Celtics in six games in the2022 NBA Finals.
Pachulia legally changed his first name from Zaur to Zaza.[1][when?] 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 theOrder of Honor fromRepublic of Georgia presidentGiorgi Margvelashvili.[36] He also holds Turkish citizenship.[2]
| 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 |
| † | Won anNBA championship |
| 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 |
| 2005–06 | Atlanta | 78 | 78 | 31.4 | .451 | .000 | .735 | 7.9 | 1.7 | 1.1 | .5 | 11.7 |
| 2006–07 | Atlanta | 72 | 47 | 28.1 | .474 | .000 | .786 | 6.9 | 1.5 | 1.1 | .5 | 12.2 |
| 2007–08 | Atlanta | 62 | 5 | 15.2 | .437 | .000 | .706 | 4.0 | .6 | .4 | .2 | 5.2 |
| 2008–09 | Atlanta | 77 | 26 | 19.1 | .497 | .000 | .709 | 5.7 | .7 | .5 | .3 | 6.2 |
| 2009–10 | Atlanta | 78 | 1 | 14.0 | .488 | .000 | .650 | 3.8 | .5 | .5 | .4 | 4.3 |
| 2010–11 | Atlanta | 79 | 7 | 15.7 | .461 | – | .754 | 4.2 | .7 | .4 | .3 | 4.4 |
| 2011–12 | Atlanta | 58 | 44 | 28.3 | .499 | – | .741 | 7.9 | 1.4 | .9 | .5 | 7.8 |
| 2012–13 | Atlanta | 52 | 15 | 21.8 | .473 | .000 | .757 | 6.5 | 1.5 | .7 | .2 | 5.9 |
| 2013–14 | Milwaukee | 53 | 43 | 25.0 | .427 | .000 | .846 | 6.3 | 2.6 | .8 | .3 | 7.7 |
| 2014–15 | Milwaukee | 73 | 45 | 23.7 | .454 | .000 | .788 | 6.8 | 2.4 | 1.1 | .3 | 8.3 |
| 2015–16 | Dallas | 76 | 69 | 26.4 | .454 | .000 | .768 | 9.4 | 1.7 | .8 | .3 | 8.6 |
| 2016–17† | Golden State | 70 | 70 | 18.1 | .534 | .000 | .778 | 5.9 | 1.9 | .8 | .5 | 6.1 |
| 2017–18† | Golden State | 69 | 57 | 14.1 | .564 | .000 | .806 | 4.7 | 1.6 | .6 | .2 | 5.4 |
| 2018–19 | Detroit | 68 | 3 | 12.9 | .440 | .000 | .782 | 3.9 | 1.3 | .5 | .3 | 3.9 |
| Career | 1,098 | 516 | 20.3 | .469 | .000 | .751 | 5.8 | 1.3 | .7 | .3 | 6.8 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
Source[37]
| 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 |
