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Illinois Basketball: Giorgi Bezhanishvili continues to gain NBA traction

By Rees Woodcock

Illinois Fighting Illini forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili (15) cheers on his teammate during a three-pointer during the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 21, 2021, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. Mandatory Credit: Alton Strupp/IndyStar via USA TODAY Sports
Illinois Fighting Illini forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili (15) cheers on his teammate during a three-pointer during the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 21, 2021, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. Mandatory Credit: Alton Strupp/IndyStar via USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois basketball fans were quite confused when Giorgi Bezhanishvili decided to depart the program after last season.

The reports after he announced his decision to leave the Illini were that he was going back home to his family in the country of Georgia. With COVID, Giorgi hadn’t seen his family in a long time, so it was understandable to try to go back home and play international basketball.

As time has gone on, there has been some strong interest from professional basketball teams. The interest isn’t from overseas, though. There continue to be NBA franchises eyeing Giorgi as a potential addition to their team.

Illinois basketball could end up getting multiple players into the NBA for next season.

Giorgi ended up declaring for the NBA Draft on April 8. While he most likely won’t get picked this Thursday, his stock as a priority free agent might be something to keep an eye on.

The first team that was interested in Giorgi that really piqued my interest was the Los Angeles Lakers. They brought Giorgi in for a workout back on July 7. I thought at the time that this was a huge step for the former Illini big man. He could have the potential to land somewhere. But, since then, his interest has increased greatly.

This past Friday, Adam Zagoria of Forbes posted on Twitter that Giorgi was working out for the San Antonio Spurs that day and had a workout with the Charlotte Hornets coming up as well.


Zagoria also released the teams Giorgi has had workouts with. The list included the Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Memphis Grizzlies and the Lakers. He also mentions that Giorgi could get a look in the second round of the NBA Draft.

Next. Illini recruiting not missing a beat under Chester Frazier. dark

I absolutely love that Giorgi is gaining traction right before the NBA Draft. There would be nothing better than seeing his name be selected in the second round. While I doubt it happens, I think he sticks with a team not matter if he is drafted or not. This kid has great athletic ability and an infectious personality. Any team would be lucky to land him.

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