Inside The Spurs

FIBA Preview: Spurs' Sandro Mamukelashvili to Debut for Georgian National Team

Ahead of his second season with the Spurs, Sandro Mamukelashvili will take the European court for his home country, Georgia, to help it earn its first win in FIBA World Cup history.

Matt Guzman

FIBA Preview: Spurs' Sandro Mamukelashvili to Debut for Georgian National Team
FIBA Preview: Spurs' Sandro Mamukelashvili to Debut for Georgian National Team /
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Even though Summer League is officially in the rear-view mirror of NBA fans, there still is some basketball to watch for the San Antonio Spurs. 

No, Victor Wembanyama won't be suiting up for the Silver and Black anytime before the pre-season, but another foreign Spur is set to suit up for the FIBA World Cup. San Antonio's big man Sandro Mamukelashvili will be playing for his home country of Georgia in the coming weeks, marking the first time that the National Team has qualified since joining FIBA in 1992.

Just two years ago, the idea of playing for his home country was a dream for Mamukelashvili, who spent his third NBA season in San Antonio prior to rejoining his teammates in Georgia following the season.

"I would be the one sitting all the way high in the stands [watching the National team play], so I would just be staring down, and as soon as the game would be over, I would go in my neighborhood and start playing basketball with my Georgian national team shirt on," Mamukelashvili told the New York Post back in 2021, before the team had qualified for the World Cup. "I always imagined myself in those shoes, and it was an honor to represent my country, and I loved it, so I’m looking forward to playing with them." 

That interview came two years prior to Georgia's qualification, which has only made the feat even sweeter for the rising star, who will now look to help lead Georgia to a deep run. And if he manages to do so, it'd be that much more of an honor. 

Mamukelashvili and the Georgian National Team will take the court for the first time of the tourney on Saturday, August 26. Tipoff is set for 3 a.m. CT. 

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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