Teenage basketball talent Goga Bitadze picked by Indiana Pacers at NBA Draft
The Georgian centre was among 30 players to be picked in round one of the NBA draft. Photo: Goga Bitadze on Facebook.
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Georgia's rising talent Goga Bitadze has been picked by the National Basketball Association team Indiana Pacers in Thursday evening's Draft for the competition, with the former Buducnost Podgorica player marking the milestone in his career with the move from Europe to the United States.
Bitadze, 19, was picked as number 18 from 30 players selected by NBA clubs in the first round of the Draft, an annual event where up-and-coming basketball talent is picked by teams of the world's leading national competition for their rosters.
Wearing a bow tie coloured after Georgia's national flag, Bitadze said the events of the Draft night were "really exciting for me", telling American sports reporters "this is my dream [and] I can't really explain how I feel now" at a post-Draft interview.
The athlete also told the journalists he wanted to dedicate his success at having reached the Draft to his family - who watched the event early in the Friday morning for Georgian local time - saying it was a moment "for them".
On the eve of the Draft, a photograph of the Georgian player in a press conference room went viral, with the image showing reporters surrounding Zion Williamson, an American athlete picked as number one in the selection, leaving the Georgian talent in isolation.
The photo saw reactions including from Golden State Warriors player Draymond Green, who said Bitadze should "frame this pic ... look at it every day and grind!", using the moment as a source of motivation for achieving fame himself.
While still playing in Europe over the last season, the teenage centre collected the EuroLeague Rising Star Trophy - an award distinguishing brightest new talent in the continent's major tournament - last month.
EuroLeague also ran a spotlight feature on Bitadze and his team earlier this year, in which the player's rise to the tournament was described as an "explosion".
The emerging athlete left Georgia at the age of 16 to join Bemax Belgrade, a Serbian club, before leading the team to a EuroLeague Basketball Next Generation Tournament final.
Bitadze then represented Buducnost, a club competing in the Montenegrin Basketball League, Adriatic League and EuroLeague, before he was seleted for the NBA Draft, a major occasion for basketball players who make it.
With the move to the Pacers Bitadze joins Zaza Pachulia, the most high-profile Georgian basketball player, in the US league. Pachulia has played in the NBA since 2003 and currently represents Detroit Pistons.
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