Georgian basketballer returns to NBA league

One of Georgia’s most successful basketballers who stands at 2.13m tall is back in the spotlight after being signed by the Los Angeles Clippers for the upcoming National Basketball Association (NBA) season.

Former NBA player, Georgian forward Nikoloz Tskitishvili, has returned to America’s NBA after a nine year hiatus after being signed by the Los Angeles team on a new one-year contract.

The NBA is the preeminent men's professional basketball league in North America, and is widely considered to be the premier men's professional basketball league in the world.

The 32-year old played in the NBA for four different teams between 2002 and 2006 before leaving the United States and later playing for Lebanese international team Champville.

The Georgian player has been signed on a non-guaranteed contract – a type of NBA deal that does not require teams to decide on a player’s next season before June 30, a usual date for roster decisions.

His best statistics, from his first NBA season with the Denver Nuggets, were 3.9 points on 29 percent shooting, 2.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 0.4 blocks per game.

His performances gradually dropped as he moved between the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns over the following three years before leaving the NBA league.

But now, with the ongoing changes to the NBA playing philosophy where new emphasis is placed on three-point-shooting and other aspects of play that benefit tall forwards, the LA Clippers have pinned their hopes on Tskitishvili taking full advantage of the tournament’s new playing style.

Tskitishvili’s performances for Champville – whom he joined in 2012 – saw him jump back up to 19.8 points on 48 percent shooting, 11.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.07 blocks last season.