Giorgi Bezhanishvili
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Bezhanishvili with Illinois in 2021 | |
No. 19 – Iowa Wolves | |
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Position | Power forward |
League | NBA G League |
Personal information | |
Born | Rustavi, Georgia | November 16, 1998
Nationality | Austrian / Georgian |
Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | The Patrick School (Hillside, New Jersey) |
College | Illinois (2018–2021) |
NBA draft | 2021: undrafted |
Playing career | 2014–present |
Career history | |
2014–2016 | Basket Flames |
2016–2017 | Klosterneuburg Dukes |
2021–2022 | Grand Rapids Gold |
2022 | Guelph Nighthawks |
2022–2023 | College Park Skyhawks |
2023 | Vancouver Bandits |
2023 | Formosa Dreamers |
2024–present | Iowa Wolves |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Giorgi Bezhanishvili (born November 16, 1998) is an Austrian-Georgian professional basketball player for the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Early life
[edit]Bezhanishvili was born in Rustavi, Georgia on November 16, 1998. In 2002, Bezhanishvili's mother Lali emigrated to Vienna, Austria by way of Prague, Czech Republic in search of work due to economic hardships in Georgia that resulted from the dissolution of the Soviet Union. As a result, when Bezhanishvili was 3 he and his older brother Davit moved in with their grandparents.[1] As a child, Bezhanishvili's hobbies included basketball and dancing. At the age of 10, he placed second in classical dance in a national competition.[1] When he was 14, Bezhanishvili moved to Vienna to be with his mother.[2] In 2016, Bezhanishvili became a naturalized citizen of Austria.[3] Bezhanishvili has learned to speak English, Georgian, German, and Russian.[1]
Youth career
[edit]After moving to Vienna, Bezhanishvili played in the youth system for the Basket Flames. From 2014–2016 he played for the men's senior Basket Flames team that competes in the 2. Österreichische Basketball Bundesliga which is the second tier of basketball in Austria.[4] During the 2016–2017 season, Bezhanishvili played for the Klosterneuburg Dukes of the Austrian Basketball League and was teammates with former Lehigh player Michael Ojo.[1] Ojo got Bezhanishvili connected with American basketball coaches which resulted in a scholarship to attend The Patrick School in Elizabeth, New Jersey.[1] With Klosterneuburg, Bezhanishvili averaged 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists.[5]
Recruiting
[edit]During his senior year of high school at The Patrick School, Bezhanishvili received a scholarship offer from the University of Illinois and committed to play college basketball for head coach Brad Underwood after his official visit on March 26, 2018.[3][6] Bezhanishvili also had considered scholarship offers from Minnesota, Seton Hall, and St. Bonaventure.[6]
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giorgi Bezhanishvili PF |
Rustavi, Georgia | The Patrick School (NJ) | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Mar 26, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:
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Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
[edit]As a freshman, Bezhanishvili averaged 12.5 points on 54.2 percent shooting while averaging 5.2 rebounds per game. He set Illinois' freshman scoring record with 35 points against Rutgers. Bezhanishvili went through a slump midway through his sophomore season in which he shot 27 percent over nine games and came off the bench behind Kofi Cockburn.[7] He averaged 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore.[8] As a junior, he averaged 5.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. Following the season, Bezhanishvili declared for the 2021 NBA draft.[9]
Professional career
[edit]After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Bezhanishvili joined the Denver Nuggets for NBA Summer League play.[10] On September 13, 2021, he signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Nuggets.[11] Bezhanishvili joined the Grand Rapids Gold as an affiliate player.[12]
College Park Skyhawks (2022–2023)
[edit]On August 25, 2022, Bezhanishvili was traded to the College Park Skyhawks.[13]
Vancouver Bandits (2023)
[edit]On March 28, 2023, Bezhanishvili signed with the Vancouver Bandits of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.[14]
Formosa Dreamers (2023)
[edit]Bezhanishvili signed with the Formosa Dreamers for the 2023–2024 season.[15]
Iowa Wolves (2024–present)
[edit]On January 10, 2024, Bezhanishvili joined the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League,[16] but was waived on February 9.[17] On February 22, he rejoined the Wolves.[17]
Career statistics
[edit]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 |
College
[edit]Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018–19 | Illinois | 33 | 33 | 26.1 | .542 | .167 | .657 | 5.2 | .8 | .7 | .8 | 12.5 |
2019–20 | Illinois | 31 | 24 | 23.2 | .429 | .306 | .596 | 4.8 | 1.6 | .1 | .4 | 6.8 |
2020–21 | Illinois | 31 | 0 | 14.5 | .545 | .500 | .629 | 2.7 | .4 | .2 | .3 | 5.1 |
Career | 95 | 57 | 21.4 | .507 | .264 | .636 | 4.3 | .9 | .3 | .5 | 8.2 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Ryan, Shannon (December 26, 2018). "'My mom is my hero': How Illini freshman Giorgi Bezhanishvili danced his way through adversity, growing up in the former Soviet republic of Georgia". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- ^ Gasick, Mike (December 1, 2018). "Illini leaning on overseas freshman Giorgi Bezhanishvili". The State Journal-Register. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- ^ a b "Giorgi Bezhanishvili hat sich für Illinois entschieden" [Giorgi Bezhanishvili has opted for Illinois] (in German). Tiroler Tageszeitung. March 29, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- ^ "Giorgi Bezhanishvili auf Jakob Pöltls Spuren" [Giorgi Bezhanishvili on Jakob Pöltl's footsteps] (in German). Kronen Zeitung. March 29, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- ^ Richey, Scott (March 2, 2018). "Illini still working east coast recruiting". The News-Gazette. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- ^ a b Piper, Derek (March 27, 2018). "Illini add 2018 big man Giorgi Bezhanishvili". 247Sports.com. CBS Sports. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- ^ Wagner, Joey (February 26, 2020). "'The game finds its way back to you.' Giorgi Bezhanishvili trying to work out of slump for Illinois basketball". Herald & Review. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ^ Welser, Joel. "ILLINOIS MEN'S BASKETBALL 2020 NCAA TOURNAMENT CAPSULE". College Sports Madness. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ^ Ryan, Shannon (April 8, 2021). "Illinois forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili says he'll enter the NBA draft: 'I'm excited to see what the future holds'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
- ^ "Nuggets' Giorgi Bezhanishvili: Will play in Summer League". CBS Sports. July 30, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
- ^ "Nuggets' Giorgi Bezhanishvili: Gets camp look from Denver". CBS Sports. September 13, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ "Grand Rapids Gold Announce 2021-22 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ "G League transactions". August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ "Vancouver Bandits Sign Giorgi Bezhanishvili for 2023 CEBL Season". CEBL.com. March 28, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ Richey, Scott (18 September 2023). "Good Morning, Illini Nation: Former Illini in the pros". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Wolves Acquire Bezhanishvili From Spurs". NBA.com. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ a b "2023-24 NBA G League Transactions". NBA.com. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
External links
[edit]- 1998 births
- Living people
- Austrian expatriate basketball people in the United States
- Austrian men's basketball players
- College Park Skyhawks players
- Emigrants from Georgia (country) to the United States
- American expatriate basketball people in Taiwan
- Formosa Dreamers players
- Grand Rapids Gold players
- Guelph Nighthawks players
- Iowa Wolves players
- Klosterneuburg Dukes players
- Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players
- Men's basketball players from Georgia (country)
- P. League+ imports
- Power forwards
- Sportspeople from Vienna
- Vancouver Bandits players