EuroBasket 2017 was the last international run for Georgia captain and Golden State Warriors center Zaza Pachulia.
It has been a memorable summer for Pachulia after winning the NBA Championship with the Warriors. He was granted the Order of Honor in his home country last month and had a fun time playing for them, even pulling off a Dream Shake-esque move at one point.
However, with the Georgians failing to advance to the next round of the latest FIBA EuroBasket, the 33-year-old decided that it’s time to retire from his national team duties for good.
In a video posted on Twitter by David Pick, the former Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks big man shared his disappointment after Italy eliminated them from the EuroBasket group stage and revealed that his time with the team is likely over.
Exclusive: Zaza Pachulia (@zaza27) tells me after Georgia's EuroBasket elimination that his national-team career is over. pic.twitter.com/SelHq8kjox
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) September 6, 2017
When asked if the tournament was his retirement campaign, Pachulia said:
“It looks like it. I had a great run, great 17 years representing my country and playing for the national team. I will remember a lot of great moments and great wins and, of course, we have some losses too. But at the end of the day I only missed one summer because of the injury and that’s it.”
He then followed up the video with a post on Facebook showing his national team jersey hanging while emphasizing on the caption that leaving them was “very hard.”
Zaza Pachulia averaged 13.4 points and 9.2 rebounds in his five games for Georgia in this year's European Championship. His biggest moment came in their win over hosts Israel where he recorded 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Considered as one of the most popular athletes in his country, Pachulia retires as the first Georgian to have won an NBA title. Though, he will still have an opportunity to add more to his legacy after signing a one-year, $3.5 million deal to stay with the Warriors next season.
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