Wikipedia

Tornike Shengelia

Tornike "Toko" Shengelia (Georgian: თორნიკე შენგელია; born 5 October 1991) is a Georgian professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. Shengelia also represents the senior Georgian national team. He earned an All-EuroLeague First Team selection in 2018.

Tornike Shengelia
თორნიკე შენგელია
Shengelia with Baskonia in 2017
No. 21 – Virtus Bologna
PositionPower forward
LeagueLBA
EuroLeague
Personal information
Born (1991-03-05) 5 March 1991 (age 33)
Tbilisi, Georgia
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2012: 2nd round, 54th overall pick
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career2008–present
Career history
2008–2010Valencia
2010–2012Spirou Charleroi
2010–2011→Verviers-Pepinster
2012–2014Brooklyn Nets
2012–2014→Springfield Armor
2014Chicago Bulls
2014–2020Saski Baskonia
2020–2022CSKA Moscow
2022–presentVirtus Bologna
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Professional career

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Early career

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From 2008 to 2010, Shengelia played for both Valencia Basket and its junior team, Valencia BC Sunny Delight. In 2010, he signed with Spirou Charleroi of Belgium, who later loaned him to VOO Verviers-Pepinster for the 2010–11 season. In August 2011, it was announced that he would play for Spirou Charleroi in 2011–12.[1]

Brooklyn Nets (2012–2014)

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Shengelia was selected with the 54th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft by Philadelphia 76ers. He was later traded to the Brooklyn Nets on draft night. In July 2012, he joined the Nets for the 2012 NBA Summer League. In 5 games, he averaged 10.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.[2]

On July 24, 2012, Shengelia signed with the Nets.[3] During his rookie and sophomore seasons, he had multiple assignments with the Springfield Armor of the NBA D-League.[4][5]

Chicago Bulls (2014)

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On January 21, 2014, Shengelia was traded to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Marquis Teague.[6] On April 14, 2014, he was waived by the Bulls.[7]

Baskonia (2014–2020)

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On June 21, 2014, Shengelia signed a three-year deal with Baskonia.[8]

On March 1, 2015, the basque derby with Bilbao Basket finished with a brawl where Dejan Todorović of Bilbao and he were disqualified and 12 players were ejected due to court invasion during the fight.[9] With four seconds left and Bilbao winning by a huge margin, despite the referee's call for a traveling, Todorović was going to dunk when Todorović was hit by him. After this, the Serbian player pushed him from behind and the Georgian forward reacted with a punch. After this, all the players who were in the bench came into the court and started the brawl. When Shengelia was leaving the court after the disqualifying foul, he apologized to a child who was in the first row of the arena.[10]

The ACB announced this brawl would have severe consequences and sanctions and would talk with the Spanish Basketball Federation for changing the disciplinary regulations.[11] On March 5, the league provisionally suspended Todorović and Shengelia until the final resolution of the case.[12]

Both clubs claimed to have the same sanctions than in 2004, when the brawl Real Madrid and Estudiantes occurred.[13] Finally, on March 11, the Disciplinary Judge accorded to suspend him for five games, Todorović for four and a €3,000 fine to Bilbao Basket player Dairis Bertāns and to Baskonia brothers Mamadou and Ilimane Diop.[14]

On June 7, 2017, Shengelia signed a three-year contract extension with Baskonia.[15] Over 33 EuroLeague games, he averaged career-highs of 13.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. In May 2018, he was named the All-EuroLeague First Team for the 2017–18 season.[16] On 24 May 2018, he finished in second place behind Luka Dončić in voting for the Liga ACB MVP of the season.[17] On August 19, 2018, Shengelia signed a four-year contract extension with Baskonia until 2022.[18]

CSKA Moscow (2020–2022)

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On 9 July 2020, he signed a three-year contract with Russian club CSKA Moscow.

On 26 February 2022, Shengelia terminated the contract in protest of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.[19][20] He said: "I take this decision in protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. I do not consider it possible to continue playing for the Red Army club." CSKA's name abbreviates as the Central Sports Club of the Army.[21][22][23] The team accused him and others of violating their contracts; however, with Russia being suspended from the Euroleague and FIBA, CSKA cannot pursue any legal action.[22]

Virtus Bologna (2022–present)

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On 7 March 2022, Shengelia signed a deal with the Italian club Virtus Bologna until the end of the season.[24] Moreover, after having ousted Lietkabelis, Ulm and Valencia in the first three rounds of the playoffs, on 11 May 2022, Virtus defeated Frutti Extra Bursaspor by 80–67 at the Segafredo Arena, winning its first EuroCup and qualifying for the EuroLeague after 14 years.[25] However, despite having ended the regular season at the first place and having ousted 3–0 both Pesaro and Tortona in the first two rounds of playoffs, Virtus was defeated 4–2 in the national finals by Olimpia Milano.[26]

On 13 September, Shengelia signed a two-year deal with Virtus until June 2024.[27] On 29 September 2022, after having ousted Milano in the semifinals, Virtus won its third Supercup, defeating 72–69 Banco di Sardegna Sassari and achieving a back-to-back, following the 2021 trophy. However, Shengelia did not play due to a shoulder injury occurred before the 2022 EuroBasket.[28] However, despite good premises Virtus ended the EuroLeague season at the 14th place, thus it did not qualify for the playoffs.[29] Moreover, the team was defeated in the Italian Basketball Cup final by Brescia. In June, after having ousted 3–0 both Brindisi and Tortona, Virtus was defeated 4–3 by Olimpia Milan in the national finals, following a series which was widely regarded among the best in the latest years of Italian basketball.[30][31]

On 24 September 2023, after having ousted Olimpia Milano in the semifinals, Virtus won its fourth Supercup, and the third in a row, defeating 97–60 Germani Brescia. Shengelia was appointed MVP of the tournament.[32]

National team career

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Shengelia is a member of the senior Georgian national team. With Georgia, he played at the 2011 EuroBasket, the 2015 EuroBasket, and the 2017 EuroBasket.

In February 2023, Shengelia was a key player on the roster of Georgia that qualified for its first-ever World Cup in 2023.[33]

Career statistics

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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  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012–13 Brooklyn 19 0 4.9 .435 .500 .563 1.2 .2 .2 .1 1.6
2013–14 Brooklyn 17 0 8.1 .458 .000 .375 .8 .7 .1 .1 1.5
2013–14 Chicago 9 0 1.9 .500 .000 .000 .2 .2 .1 .0 .4
Career 45 0 5.5 .451 .125 .500 .9 .4 .1 .1 1.3

EuroLeague

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* Led the league
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2011–12 Charleroi 9 9 20.6 .500 .286 .682 4.3 1.0 .3 .1 8.3 7.1
2014–15 Baskonia 24 23 21.6 .439 .229 .820 4.8 .8 .6 .7 9.5 10.3
2015–16 9 7 19.2 .561 .500 .682 3.8 1.2 .8 .6 9.1 10.4
2016–17 24 13 20.8 .511 .542 .778 4.1 1.4 .8 .3 10.8 12.0
2017–18 33 17 25.5 .569 .326 .681 6.1 2.2 .8 .5 13.7 18.2
2018–19 20 15 24.2 .503 .393 .529 4.3 1.6 1.1 .6 11.4 13.0
2019–20 28* 28* 30.4 .533 .391 .769 5.6 2.9 1.0 .5 15.9 18.5
2020–21 CSKA Moscow 37 35 24.9 .455 .315 .651 4.9 2.3 1.2 .2 11.2 12.1
2021–22 15 13 24.8 .474 .341 .733 4.7 2.5 .9 .3 12.7 14.1
2022–23 Bologna 23 17 22.6 .484 .462 .753 3.1 3.1 .9 .4 9.4 11.5
2023–24 33 31 27.4 .491 .255 .788 5.0 3.3 1.0 .2 14.5 17.4
Career 255 208 24.6 .496 .341 .715 4.8 2.2 .9 .4 12.0 14.0

Domestic leagues

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Season Team League GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008–09   Pamesa Valencia ACB 6 10.5 .620 .000 .800 1.7 .5 .5 .2 3.3
2009–10   Pamesa Valencia B EBA 21 29.5 .539 .290 .481 8.0 1.9 .9 1.0 15.7
2010–11   Verviers-Pepinster BLB 32 17.0 .511 .130 .750 4.1 .5 .8 .3 6.5
2011–12   Belgacom Spirou BLB 29 18.4 .494 .279 .628 4.8 1.1 1.1 .3 8.8
2012–13   Springfield Armor NBA D-League 10 36.6 .581 .366 .675 8.2 4.0 2.3 1.0 24.3
2013–14   Springfield Armor NBA D-League 4 27.3 .615 .200 .818 5.0 1.5 .5 1.3 13.3
2014–15   Baskonia ACB 31 20.3 .532 .362 .804 4.0 1.0 .5 .4 10.1
2015–16   Baskonia ACB 19 17.0 .580 .300 .750 3.6 0.9 .6 .5 8.7
2016–17   Baskonia ACB 31 22.1 .541 .324 .694 4.8 1.3 1.0 .7 10.5

References

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  1. ^ "Tornike Shengelia returns to Spirou Charleroi".
  2. ^ "2012 Summer League Profile".
  3. ^ "Brooklyn Nets Sign Tornike Shengelia". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. July 24, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  4. ^ "2012-13 NBA Assignments". Archived from the original on March 27, 2014.
  5. ^ "2013-14 NBA Assignments". Archived from the original on July 3, 2014.
  6. ^ "BULLS ACQUIRE FORWARD TORNIKE SHENGELIA". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. January 21, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  7. ^ "BULLS WAIVE TORNIKE SHENGELIA". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 14, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  8. ^ "Laboral Kutxa announces Tornike Shengelia". Sportando.com. June 21, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  9. ^ El acta del partido de la infamia; Marca, 2 March 2015 (in Spanish)
  10. ^ Spanish Basketball Brawl Ends With Player Apologizing to Small Child; The Big Lead, 2 March 2015
  11. ^ La ACB pide remodelar el Reglamento Disciplinario tras la tangana en Bilbao Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine; Deia, 2 March 2015 (in Spanish)
  12. ^ El Juez Disciplinario suspende cautelarmente a Dejan Todorovic y Shengelia; ACB.com, 5 March 2015
  13. ^ Comunicado conjunto de Bilbao Basket y Saski Baskonia; ACB.com, 5 March 2015(in Spanish)
  14. ^ Resolución del Juez Disciplinario sobre incidentes Bilbao - Laboral Kutxa; ACB.com, 11 March 2015
  15. ^ "Baskonia signs Toko Shengelia to a three-year contract extension". Sportando.com. June 7, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  16. ^ "2017-18 All-EuroLeague First Team presented by 7DAYS". euroleague.net. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  17. ^ "Luka Doncic, MVP Movistar de la Liga Endesa 2017-18". ACB.com (in Spanish). 24 May 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  18. ^ "Baskonia, Shengelia pen extension through 2022". EuroLeague.net. 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  19. ^ "თორნიკე შენგელიამ რუსეთის არმიელთა საკალათბურთო კლუბი პროტესტის ნიშნად დატოვა". commersant.ge. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  20. ^ "Tornike Shengelia reportedly has left CSKA Moscow". basketnews.com. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  21. ^ "Tornike Shengelia leaves CSKA Moscow: I can't play for the Russian army club". MARCA. February 26, 2022.
  22. ^ a b "5 CSKA Moscow players leave team for war between Russia, Ukraine". www.aa.com.tr.
  23. ^ Amico, Sam (March 1, 2022). "FIBA Suspends All Russian Teams, Officials From Competition".
  24. ^ "TORNIK'E SHENGELIA E' UN NUOVO GIOCATORE DI VIRTUS SEGAFREDO BOLOGNA". virtus.it. 7 March 2022.
  25. ^ "Game Night: Virtus is the 7DAYS EuroCup champion and headed back to the EuroLeague!". euroleaguebasketball.net. 11 May 2022.
  26. ^ "Olimpia Milano campione d'Italia, Virtus Bologna ko 81-64 in gara-6". Sky Sport. 18 June 2022.
  27. ^ "Toko ancora con noi!". Virtus Bologna. 13 September 2022.
  28. ^ "Supercoppa, trionfa la Virtus Bologna! Canestro decisivo di Mickey, Sassari cede 72-69". Gazzetta dello Sport. 29 September 2022.
  29. ^ Virtus, il punto a fine EuroLega. BolognaBasket
  30. ^ Basket, Milano batte Bologna nella decisiva gara 7 e vince il suo 30esimo scudetto. Gli highlights. la Repubblica
  31. ^ Basket, Milano batte Bologna 67-55 nella finalissima e si conferma campione per la trentesima volta. Rai News
  32. ^ Una Virtus esagerata stravince la Supercoppa. la Repubblica
  33. ^ "Georgia make history, book first World Cup ticket". FIBA.basketball. 2023-02-26. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
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