Bezhanishvili's Career & Season Game-By-Game Stats (PDF)

Fighting Illini junior Giorgi Bezhanishvili (Rustavi, Georgia) announced on Instagram Thursday that he has declared for the NBA Draft and will pursue a professional career. 

"From basketball to classes to dancing, it has been nothing but love since my first day in Champaign," Bezhanishvili wrote. "I would like to thank all of Illini Nation from deep in my heart for everything! My journey here at Illinois has been amazing. With that being said I will be entering the 2021 NBA Draft and pursuing the next step of becoming a professional basketball player. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped me along the way. I'm excited to see what the future holds. I-L-L!"

Bezhanishvili was Illinois' top frontcourt reserve this past season, averaging 5.1 points and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 54.5% from the field. He scored in double figures five times, highlighted by a season-high 15 points against No. 2 Baylor (12/2). He also came up big in the Big Ten Tournament title game, totaling 12 points and six rebounds in the victory over No. 9 Ohio State.

Bezhanishvili helped lead Illinois to a 24-7 record, including a 16-4 mark in conference play followed by the Big Ten Tournament championship. The Illini earned an NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed and set a school record by defeating six top-10 teams during the season. Illinois finished the year at No. 4 in kenpom, the second-highest rating in program history. 

Bezhanishvili had a stellar freshman season, ranking third on the Illini in scoring (12.5 ppg) while leading the team in rebounding (5.2 rpg). He set the Illinois freshman single-game scoring record with 35 points vs. Rutgers (2/9/19), breaking the previous UI mark that stood for 29 years. He then averaged 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds as a sophomore, helping the Illini to a 21-10 record and final ranking of No. 21.