Tornike "Toko" Shengelia ( ka, თორნიკე შენგელია; born 5 October 1991) is a Georgian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for

Virtus Bologna Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, known for sponsorship reasons as Virtus Segafredo Bologna, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. The club was founded in 1929, which makes it the oldest club in Italy and one ...

of the Italian

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club (sport), club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball ...

(LBA) and the

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

. Shengelia also represents the senior Georgian national team. He earned an All-EuroLeague First Team selection in

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Professional career

Early career

From 2008 to 2010, Shengelia played for both

Valencia Basket Valencia Basket Club Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D., commonly known as Valencia Basket (), is a professional basketball team based in Valencia, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB and the EuroCup Basketball, EuroCup, and his 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.

Brooklyn Nets (2012–2014)

Shengelia was selected with the 54th overall pick in the

2012 NBA draft The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball A ...

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. He was later traded to the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), ...

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

Chicago Bulls (2014)

On January 21, 2014, Shengelia was traded to the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

in exchange for Marquis Teague. On April 14, 2014, he was waived by the Bulls.

Baskonia (2014–2020)

On June 21, 2014, Shengelia signed a three-year deal with Baskonia. On March 1, 2015, the Basque derby with

Bilbao Basket Club Basket Bilbao Berri Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D., commonly known as Bilbao Basket (), also known as Surne Bilbao Basket for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Bilbao, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB. T ...

ended in a brawl that started with a confrontation between Dejan Todorović and Shengelia. Both players were disqualified and 12 players were ejected due to the court invasion that took place during the fight. With mere seconds on the clock and Bilbao leading the game, Shengelia fouled Todorović as the latter attempted a dunk. The Serbian player pushed Shengelia from behind and the Georgian forward threw a punch in response. The exchange prompted the bench players of both teams to enter the court and subsequently 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. The ACB announced the brawl would have severe consequences and sanctions and initiated talks with the

Spanish Basketball Federation The Spanish Basketball Federation (; FEB) is the governing body of basketball in Spain. Based in Madrid, it was founded on 31 July 1923 in Barcelona, Spain. It organizes all the female national competitions ( Liga Femenina (1st), Liga Femenina ...

to strengthen disciplinary regulations. On March 5, the league provisionally suspended Todorović and Shengelia until the final resolution of the case. After the cautionary suspension of both players was announced, Bilbao and Baskonia released a joint statement expressing their disapproval. On March 11, Shengelia would finally receive a 5 game suspension while Todorović was suspended for four games. Additionally, Dairis Bertāns of Bilbao Basket and the brothers Mamadou and Ilimane Diop of Baskonia received a €3,000 fine. On June 7, 2017, Shengelia signed a three-year contract extension with Baskonia. In May 2018, he was named to the All-EuroLeague First Team for the 2017–18 season. Over 33 EuroLeague games, he averaged career-highs of 13.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. On 24 May 2018, he finished in second place behind Luka Dončić in voting for the Liga ACB

MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...

of the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

. On August 19, 2018, Shengelia signed a four-year contract extension with Baskonia until 2022. However, the Georgian forward left Baskonia in July 2020, after 6 seasons with the Basque team.

CSKA Moscow (2020–2022)

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

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow () is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was the central part of the Armed Forces (sports ...

. On 26 February 2022, Shengelia terminated the contract in protest of

Russia's invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

. 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 The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

club." CSKA's name abbreviates as the ''Central Sports Club of the Army''. 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.

Virtus Bologna (2022–present)

On 7 March 2022, Shengelia signed a deal with the Italian club

until the end of the season. Moreover, after having ousted Lietkabelis, Ulm and

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

in the first three rounds of the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

, on 11 May 2022, Virtus defeated Frutti Extra Bursaspor by 80–67 at the Segafredo Arena, winning its first EuroCup and qualifying for the

after 14 years. However, despite having ended the regular season at the first place and having ousted 3–0 both

Pesaro Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...

and

Tortona Tortona (; , ; ) is a ''comune'' of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Spinetta Marengo, Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines. Its ''frazione'' of ...

in the first two rounds of playoffs, Virtus was defeated 4–2 in the national finals by

Olimpia Milano Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...

. On 13 September, Shengelia signed a two-year deal with Virtus until June 2024. On 29 September 2022, after having ousted Milano in the semifinals, Virtus won its third Supercup, defeating 72–69

Banco di Sardegna Sassari Polisportiva Dinamo, commonly known as Dinamo Sassari and currently known as Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari for sponsorship reasons, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Sassari, Sardinia. They are the 2018–19 FIBA Euro ...

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. However, despite good premises Virtus ended the EuroLeague season at the 14th place, thus it did not qualify for the playoffs. Moreover, the team was defeated in the

Italian Basketball Cup The Italian Basketball Cup (Italian: Coppa Italiana di Pallacanestro), or Coppa Italia, is an annual professional basketball competition between pro clubs from the Italian Basketball League (LBA). It is Italy's first-tier cup competition, and is ...

final by

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

. 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. 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. Despite an impressive first half of the season, Virtus ended the EuroLeague regular season at the 10th place, qualifying only for the play-in, where after having defeated 67–64

Anadolu Efes Anadolu Efes Spor Kulübü, commonly referred to as Anadolu Efes or simply Efes, is a Turkish professional basketball team based in Istanbul. Founded in 1976, the club was formerly known as Efes Pilsen until 2011. Efes is the 2021–22 EuroLeagu ...

, it lost against Baskonia 89–77, not qualifying for the playoffs. Moreover, the Black V placed first during the Italian regular season but, after having knocked out

by 3–2 and

Reyer Venezia S.S.P. Reyer Venezia Mestre, commonly known as Reyer Venezia or simply Reyer, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Venice, Veneto. The club currently plays in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), the highest tier of basketball i ...

by 3–1, it lost the third consecutive final against Milan by 3–1. In the 2024-25 EuroLeague season, he scored a career-high 35 points against Fenerbahçe Beko, marking the highest-scoring game of his EuroLeague career. The 2024–25 LBA season was Shengelia's most successful with Virtus, winning the Italian championship. Beating

Pallacanestro Brescia The Pallacanestro Brescia, better known for sponsorship reasons as Germani Brescia, is an Italian professional basketball team, based in Brescia, Lombardy. Founded in 2009, the team plays in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) since the 2016–17 Lega B ...

in the finals, Shengelia was named LBA Finals MVP. Additionally, he was selected to the season's All-Lega Serie A Team.

National team career

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 A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, 19 , , 0 , , 4.9 , , .435 , , .500 , , .563 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , .2 , , .1 , , 1.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 17 , , 0 , , 8.1 , , .458 , , .000 , , .375 , , .8 , , .7 , , .1 , , .1 , , 1.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, 9 , , 0 , , 1.9 , , .500 , , .000 , , .000 , , .2 , , .2 , , .1 , , .0 , , .4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", , 45 , , 0 , , 5.5 , , .451 , , .125 , , .500 , , .9 , , .4 , , .1 , , .1 , , 1.3

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;",

Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...

, 9 , , 9 , , 20.6 , , .500 , , .286 , , .682 , , 4.3 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .1 , , 8.3 , , 7.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="6", Baskonia , 24 , , 23 , , 21.6 , , .439 , , .229 , , .820 , , 4.8 , , .8 , , .6 , , .7 , , 9.5 , , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , 9 , , 7 , , 19.2 , , .561 , , .500 , , .682 , , 3.8 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , .6 , , 9.1 , , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , 24 , , 13 , , 20.8 , , .511 , , .542 , , .778 , , 4.1 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , .3 , , 10.8 , , 12.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , 33 , , 17 , , 25.5 , , .569 , , .326 , , .681 , , 6.1 , , 2.2 , , .8 , , .5 , , 13.7 , , 18.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , 20 , , 15 , , 24.2 , , .503 , , .393 , , .529 , , 4.3 , , 1.6 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 11.4 , , 13.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="background:#CFECEC;", 28* , , style="background:#CFECEC;", 28* , , 30.4 , , .533 , , .391 , , .769 , , 5.6 , , 2.9 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 15.9 , , 18.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2",

, 37 , , 35 , , 24.9 , , .455 , , .315 , , .651 , , 4.9 , , 2.3 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 11.2 , , 12.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , 15 , , 13 , , 24.8 , , .474 , , .341 , , .733 , , 4.7 , , 2.5 , , .9 , , .3 , , 12.7 , , 14.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2022–23 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3",

, 23 , , 17 , , 22.6 , , .484 , , .462 , , .753 , , 3.1 , , 3.1 , , .9 , , .4 , , 9.4 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2023–24 , 33 , , 31 , , 27.4 , , .491 , , .255 , , .788 , , 5.0 , , 3.3 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 14.5 , , 17.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2024–25 , 28 , , 25 , , 27.7 , , .513 , , .362 , , .824 , , 5.0 , , 2.7 , , .7 , , .4 , , 15.6 , , 17.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2 , Career , 283 , , 233 , , 24.5 , , .537 , , .343 , , .729 , , 4.8 , , 2.3 , , .9 , , .4 , , 12.4 , , 14.4

Domestic leagues

References

FIBA Europe FIBA Europe is the administrative body for basketball in Europe, within the FIBA, International Basketball Federation (FIBA), which includes all List of men's national basketball teams#FIBA Europe, 50 national European basketball federations. ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shengelia, Tornike 1991 births Living people 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Basketball players from Tbilisi Brooklyn Nets players Chicago Bulls players Expatriate basketball people from Georgia (country) in Belgium Expatriate basketball people from Georgia (country) in Italy Expatriate basketball people from Georgia (country) in Russia Expatriate basketball people from Georgia (country) in Spain Expatriate basketball people from Georgia (country) in the United States Liga ACB players Men's basketball players from Georgia (country) NBA players from Georgia (country) Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Power forwards RBC Pepinster players Saski Baskonia players Small forwards Spirou Charleroi players Springfield Armor players Valencia Basket players Virtus Bologna players