Magic Center Goga Bitadze Leads Georgia to Win vs. Montenegro

Goga Bitadze re-signed with the Orlando Magic this offseason, but before the season begins he will lead Georgia in the FIBA World Cup.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 13, 2023

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - While most of the focus on Orlando Magic players at the FIBA World Cup centers around Paolo Banchero for Team USA and the Wagner brothers for Germany, another teammate of theirs is set to star for their country.

Backup center Goga Bitadze is the most established NBA player for the Georgians, and he helped lead them to an 84-79 victory in the City Hall Cup against former Magic All-Star Nikola Vucevic and Montenegro.

Bitadze scored 21 points and was a perfect 9 of 9 from the field in the victory.

The City Hall Cup was an exhibition four-team tournament to help the teams get ready for the FIBA World Cup later this month.

It's the first-ever World Cup appearance for Georgia, who plays in Group F along with Cape Verde, Slovenia and Venezuela.

With Bitadze in the fold, he'll have a chance to lead his country in a group that sees a path for them to advance.

Slovenia, led by Dallas Mavericks All-Star Luka Doncic, is expected to win the group, but the second spot to advance to the knockout rounds could go to Georgia with strong play in the group stage.

Georgia's FIBA World Cup run begins on Saturday, August 26 against Cape Verde.

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Published Aug 13, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.