A Guide to the Georgia Men’s Basketball Team
Since becoming a member of FIBA in 1992, the Georgia men’s basketball team have clinched qualification for FIBA EuroBasket five times. 2023 was their FIBA World Cup debut. Will they produce an upset and punch their tickets to Paris?
Discover everything there is to know about the Georgia men’s basketball team with this comprehensive guide from the experts at Courtside 1891.
2024 Olympics - Men's Basketball
The Georgia men's basketball team are confirmed as one of the 24 nations that will compete in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments 2024, which you can stream live with Courtside 1891. The tournaments are currently scheduled for July 2-7 2024.
The Crusaders will be travelling to Riga and will meet hosts Latvia and Las Gilas before having to worry about a potential Semi-Finals matchup against one of Cameroon, Montenegro, and Brazil.
How Did Georgia Do At The FIBA World Cup 2023?
Here are the top stats from Georgia's FIBA Basketball World Cup campaign:
- → Final Standing: 16th
- → Results: Played 5 Won 2 Lost 3
- → Top Points Scorer: Goga Bitadze 68 PTS (13.6 PPG)
- → Top Assist Provider: Thaddus McFadden 22 AST (4.4 APG)
- → Most Efficient Player: Goga Bitadze 20.4 EPG
Rounding out the teams that made it to the Second Group Phase is Georgia - a great achievement for their debut World Cup. A team full of talented scorers, Goga Bitadze, Tornike Shengelia and Sandro Mamukelashvili all averaged over 12 points a game. Wins over Cape Verde and Venezuela sent them through Group F with Slovenia, before their defensive fragility saw them give up exactly 100 points to both Germany and Australia in the Second Group Phase.
Check out highlights from their first-ever World Cup win against fellow debutants, Cape Verde, below.
Cape Verde v Georgia - 5-min Game
Team Presentation Video
Boost your knowledge about the Georgia basketball team with the help of this handy Team Discovery Video, which is packed with stats and info.
Team Presentation - Georgia - FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments
Current Star Players
Georgia announced a 15-man extended roster ahead of their trip to the Baltics, and it's full-strength but there is at least a notable absence.
Tornike Shengelia will once again suit up for his country, but 35 years-old Giorgi Shermadini had to pass a chance at the OQTs due to multiple injuries.
Shermadini has been a top player in Europe for many years and was named as the Player of the Year in Spain's Liga Endesa last season (now a two-time MVP winner) and is the current Basketball Champions League top scorer. Meanwhile, earlier in his career, Shengelia enjoyed a couple of seasons in the NBA, where he played with the Brooklyn Nets and the Chicago Bulls. But, he’s best known for being a star with Baskonia, CSKA Moscow and Virtus Bologna.
Shengelia will be joined by veteran guard Duda Sanadze, as well as NBA duo Goga Bitadze and Sandro Mamukelashvili.
Legends of the Team
The current Georgian roster is packed with star players but the GOAT of Georgian basketball is undoubtedly Zaza Pachulia.
A 6ft 11in center who could dominate the paint and relished a contest, Pachulia is remembered by many NBA fans for his controversial physical play style.. Ultimately, he enjoyed a 16-year career in the league, where he represented six franchises. You don’t stay in the league that long if you can’t contribute and Pachulia found his best role as a strong rebounding glue guy at the start of the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty run. During this time, he memorably won two rings with the Golden State Warriors and became the first Georgian player to claim an NBA Championship.
From 2003 to 2017, he was a real leader for the Georgian basketball team and he represented his country at three editions of EuroBasket, as well as several preliminary rounds and qualification campaigns.
Since his playing days ended, he’s returned to the Warriors, where he now works as a front office consultant, and won his third ring with GSW as an executive in 2022.
How to Watch Georgia Men's Basketball
With Courtside 1891, worldwide fans can watch Georgia compete in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (FOQTs) 2024. We stream every game of FIBA international tournaments as well as other competitions from around the world.
As FIBA’s premium streaming partner for the World Cup, Courtside 1891 provided access to every 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup game! Watch the competition's biggest games and best moments on-demand on our FIBA Basketball World Cup page.
The best way to make sure that you never miss a single second of the upcoming action is to download our app, which is available on the App Store and Google Play, or sign up to our website platform. Please be aware that, due to broadcasting rights and restrictions, access to some games might be restricted depending on your location. See our where-to-watch page for full details of upcoming competitions.
Looking for the latest results from the world of basketball? Head over to the Courtside 1891 Game Center. Here you’ll also find matchup times in your country as well as easy-to-access game highlights you can watch when you register with Courtside 1891.
