LA LAGUNA (Spain) - Georgia was in the early days of its national team basketball program in 2006, trying to establish themselves as a regular in major events.
A youngster by the name of Giorgi Shermadini fit into those plans perfectly, a dominant figure in the middle for years to come.
A full 202 games and nearly 20 years later, the finish line is here. Shermadini retired from the national team, and he couldn't have picked two more suitable locations to play his final two games with Sakartvelo emblazoned on his chest.
First, it was Tbilisi, the country's capital, located just 30 kilometers away from Gio's hometown of Natakhtari. Then, it was La Laguna, his home for the past six years, the same arena where he's dominating club competitions with La Laguna Tenerife.
He was clearly emotional in his last ever window with the national team, still using the term "we" while talking about the future of Georgia.
The same future made coach Aleksandar Dzikic pull out this quote when asked if there's anybody coming up who could replace Shermadini:
"No."
"Those are big shoes to fill. That's super hard."
"We will have to adapt and change," coach Dzikic said.
"The same is waiting for us in the future with Shengelia, Sanadze, all those guys. It's what they call the change of a generation. It will not happen overnight, and we will lose a lot of games. Hopefully, in the end, we will start winning a lot of games."
Winning a lot of games was exactly what Shermadini had been doing since first wearing his favorite jersey at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket, Division B in 2005. The 2.16m (7ft 11in) tall giant turned heads with an efficient stat line of 10.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
Already in 2006, he was with the senior national team, and suited up for EuroBasket 2007 Division B.
When Georgia finally qualified for EuroBasket in 2011, he was there to play in all eight games en route to 11th place in the standings in one of the strongest tournaments ever.
However, the crowning moment came in 2025, as coach Dzikic, Shermadini and all the others created one of the biggest FIBA EuroBasket upsets of all time, eliminating France in the Round of 16 to reach the Quarter-Finals for the first time ever.
Feeling the euphoria of that run in Latvia, Giorgi probably felt it was best to retire on a high.
"Of course, this is a difficult decision," he told Fortuna.ge.
"Deep down, I still don't believe that this should happen, but everything has a beginning and an end. Now I think I should say goodbye and make way for younger basketball players."
Even though he will no longer play for Georgia, the 36-year-old is far from done basketball-wise.
He signed a new contract with Tenerife last summer, staying on the island at least until 2027, partnering with another eternal figure, 42-year-old Marcelinho Huertas.
Incredibly, they are performing way above expectations for players in latter stages of their careers, as Huertas is back-to-back Basketball Champions League MVP of the Season, and the reigning Spanish Liga Endesa MVP.
Shermadini, meanwhile, won a pair of Liga Endesa MVP awards since 2020, and started this season as the MVP of the month in October.
Simply indestructible, both of them.
Of course, Marcelinho was there in La Laguna on Sunday to congratulate Shermadini on an incredible national team career first-hand.
From a small village of just over 1,000 people nearby Tbilisi, to standing ovations all over the continent, and a final bow in his adopted home in Tenerife, Sherminator's journey was full of incredible stories.
He faced them all the same way: with a smile on his face, making you forget that he could and probably would destroy you on the court with ease.
Gentle Georgian Giant. The one who set the bar for generations to come.
FIBA