1. Goga Bitadze is a Georgian professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association.
27 Facts About Goga Bitadze
1. 2.
Goga Bitadze was drafted 18th overall by the Indiana Pacers in the 2019 NBA draft.
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Goga Bitadze is a member of the Georgian national basketball team.
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Goga Bitadze was named to the national team at EuroBasket 2017 and made his debut at FIBA World Cup qualifiers in 2017.
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Previously, Goga Bitadze represented Georgia at the junior level in FIBA competition.
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Goga Bitadze was born in Sagarejo, a town in eastern Georgia.
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Goga Bitadze's father was a professional basketball player whose career was cut short by injury.
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On 31 May 2013, Goga Bitadze scored 17 points to help his school team Hyundai win the national under-14 championship over Gori.
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Goga Bitadze played in the Georgian under-16 league for three years.
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Goga Bitadze made his debut at age 16 and consequently became the youngest player in league history.
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On 2 December 2015, Goga Bitadze signed with Mega Basket of the Basketball League of Serbia and ABA League.
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Goga Bitadze recorded his first double-double on 1 April 2017 against Dunav Stari Banovci, with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
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Goga Bitadze averaged 17.7 points per game and led the tournament with 10 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per contest, en route to making the All-Tournament Team.
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In January 2018, Goga Bitadze briefly played for Mega's junior team and helped capture the Junior ABA League championship.
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Goga Bitadze declared for the 2018 NBA draft on 12 April and was considered a possible second-round pick.
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Goga Bitadze withdrew from the 2018 NBA draft on 11 June, less than two weeks from draft night.
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On 20 December 2018, Goga Bitadze was loaned to Montenegrin club Buducnost, which at the time competed in top-tier continental EuroLeague.
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Goga Bitadze joined the team for the remainder of the season.
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Over 13 EuroLeague games, Goga Bitadze averaged 12.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game and claimed EuroLeague Rising Star honors as the best under-22 player in the EuroLeague.
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On 20 April 2019, Goga Bitadze declared for the 2019 NBA draft, for which he was considered a possible lottery pick.
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Goga Bitadze was drafted by the Indiana Pacers with the 18th pick overall in the 2019 NBA draft.
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On 9 February 2023, Goga Bitadze was waived by the Pacers after three-and-a-half seasons.
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On 13 February 2023, Goga Bitadze signed with the Orlando Magic.
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Goga Bitadze played for the Georgian national under-17 team at the 2015 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship Division B, averaging 14.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game en route to a fifth-place finish.
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At the 2016 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship Division B, Goga Bitadze averaged 11.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game for the Georgian under-18 team.
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Goga Bitadze was first named to the Georgian senior national team at EuroBasket 2017, but a calf ligament injury forced him to sit out of the entire competition.
27.
On 24 November 2017, Goga Bitadze debuted for the senior national team versus Germany during qualification for the 2019 FIBA World Cup, scoring 4 points in 17 minutes.