The Indiana Pacers selected Goga Bitadze with the 18th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The Sagarejo, Georgia native had always dreamt of playing in the league, but he was dealing with visa issues. Thanks to a helping hand from Senator Todd Young, though, Bitadze's visa problems are no more:
Glad I was able to help Goga Bitadze navigate the visa process. Looking forward to having him on the @Pacers this season. https://t.co/kuB7aVCPLU
— Senator Todd Young (@SenToddYoung) July 12, 2019
The Pacers officially signed Bitadze to his rookie-scale contract on Monday, according to a press release from the team. His visa situation prevented him from participating in this year's Summer League tournament, but thanks to the help from Senator Young, it seems the issue is now resolved.
Via USA TODAY Sports' Rookie Wire:
The big man from the Republic of Georgia attended the NBA Draft in New York City and had been at the Pacers’ facility previously but was unable to participate with the team in practice until he obtained his work visa.
As Scott Agness of The Athletic recently detailed, the process of obtaining a P-1 visa was slowed due to the July 4 holiday. Plus, the team needed exact details of his salary, which wasn’t finalized until just before July 1.
Bitadze, a 6-11 forward, should be a fine addition for the Pacers. The 19-year-old has quite a bit of experience in European play. In fact, he spent the 2018-19 season with KK Buducnost, where he turned in averages of 12.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.
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