By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After publicly displaying his support of Ukraine, Tornike Shengelia decided to terminate his stint at CSKA Moscow, according to Georgian outlet Commersant.
According to the report, Shengelia has already left Russia, and also a quote is included about the motivation of his decision, which is denied by his agent.
“Toko Sengelia has not made any statement to any media outlet,” said his agent Nikos Varlas, “He is focused right now on the well-being of his family. When a decision is made regarding his future he will talk first and foremost with CSKA Moscow.”
Eurohoops sources confirm that Shengelia and his family left Moscow, plus he still has a contract until 2023 with CSKA.
Shengelia, 30, previously updated the profile picture on his official Facebook page with a flag of Ukraine. “Praying for Ukraine! Stay strong” he wrote.
The member of the 2017-18 All-EuroLeague First Team, former Baskonia captain, and Georgian international moved to CSKA before the 2020-21 season. Despite inking a three-year deal, it seems that he is set to leave the Russian giant, famously associated with the Red Army, with one full season left on the contract.
Shengelia has been sidelined with a leg injury in recent weeks. He previously made his way to 15 games of the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season producing 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per contest. In addition, he tallied 11.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks per VTB United League game over nine appearances.
The latest development against Russian clubs follows Zalgiris Kaunas. The Lithuanian powerhouse is determined to skip future games opposite Russian sides, despite the EuroLeague teams deciding to move the approaching home games of CSKA and the remaining Russian participants, UNICS Kazan and Zenit Saint Petersburg, outside the Russian Federation territory.
Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL