He recalled his childhood and said that he was 9 years old when he started playing basketball in Didube, where the Zaza Pachulia Basketball Academy is located now.

He said his mother was a former basketball player and his father a former judoka, so the family often had a dispute over which sport to choose for little Zaza Pachulia.

"I remember when I was little, my family often had a dispute over me which way to choose. Of course, my dad wanted me to get into wrestling, my mom wanted me to be a basketball player. There was a serious conflict at home. My mother won this battle.

She won by showing me a picture of a basketball player and a wrestler. I do not want to sound rude, but she made such a presentation that the basketball player is so tall and so popular with the girls. This had a positive effect. My mother knew me best and was aware of what would help me make a decision," - Pachulia said.