Giorgi Bezhanishvili
Bezhanishvili with Illinois in 2021
No. 37 – Iowa Wolves
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBA G League
Personal information
Born (1998-11-16) November 16, 1998
Rustavi, Georgia
NationalityAustrian / Georgian
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High schoolThe Patrick School
(Hillside, New Jersey)
CollegeIllinois (2018–2021)
NBA draft2021: undrafted
Playing career2014–present
Career history
2014–2016Basket Flames
2016–2017Klosterneuburg Dukes
2021–2022Grand Rapids Gold
2022Guelph Nighthawks
2022–2023College Park Skyhawks
2023Vancouver Bandits
2023Formosa Dreamers
2024–presentIowa 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

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

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

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]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
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: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 74
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Illinois 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  • "2018 Illinois Fighting Illini Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 4, 2018.

College career

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

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)

On August 25, 2022, Bezhanishvili was traded to the College Park Skyhawks.[13]

Vancouver Bandits (2023)

On March 28, 2023, Bezhanishvili signed with the Vancouver Bandits of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.[14]

Formosa Dreamers (2023)

Bezhanishvili signed with the Formosa Dreamers for the 2023–2024 season.[15]

Iowa Wolves (2024–present)

On 10 January 2024, Bezhanishvili joined the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League.[16]

Career statistics

Legend
  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

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Illinois 333326.1.542.167.6575.2.8.7.812.5
2019–20 Illinois 312423.2.429.306.5964.81.6.1.46.8
2020–21 Illinois 31014.5.545.500.6292.7.4.2.35.1
Career 955721.4.507.264.6364.3.9.3.58.2

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 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.
  2. ↑ Gasick, Mike (December 1, 2018). "Illini leaning on overseas freshman Giorgi Bezhanishvili". The State Journal-Register. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Giorgi Bezhanishvili hat sich für Illinois entschieden" [Giorgi Bezhanishvili has opted for Illinois] (in German). Tiroler Tageszeitung. March 29, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Giorgi Bezhanishvili auf Jakob Pöltls Spuren" [Giorgi Bezhanishvili on Jakob Pöltl's footsteps] (in German). Kronen Zeitung. March 29, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  5. ↑ Richey, Scott (March 2, 2018). "Illini still working east coast recruiting". The News-Gazette. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Piper, Derek (March 27, 2018). "Illini add 2018 big man Giorgi Bezhanishvili". 247Sports.com. CBS Sports. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ Welser, Joel. "ILLINOIS MEN'S BASKETBALL 2020 NCAA TOURNAMENT CAPSULE". College Sports Madness. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ "Nuggets' Giorgi Bezhanishvili: Will play in Summer League". CBS Sports. July 30, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Nuggets' Giorgi Bezhanishvili: Gets camp look from Denver". CBS Sports. September 13, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Grand Rapids Gold Announce 2021-22 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  13. ↑ "G League transactions". August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Vancouver Bandits Sign Giorgi Bezhanishvili for 2023 CEBL Season". CEBL.com. March 28, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  15. ↑ Richey, Scott (18 September 2023). "Good Morning, Illini Nation: Former Illini in the pros". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  16. ↑ "Wolves Acquire Bezhanishvili From Spurs". NBA.com. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
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