Pavel Zemskiy stays with Zenit: new contract and promotion to first team

Zenit has inked a new deal with forward Pavel Zemskiy and promoted him to the first team. The 21-year-old Russian has signed a three-year contract, running through the end of the 2027/28 season.

Pavel Zemskiy was born in the Northern Capital and is a product of the St. Petersburg’s basketball school. He went through every stage of the Blue-White-Sky Blues Academy — from the children's youth team all the way to the first team, where he began receiving call-ups in 2023. Zemskiy is a two-time champion of the VTB United Youth League (U21), and also a winner of the Children's Youth Basketball League (U19).

In the 2024/25 season, Pavel was a key player for Zenit-2, helping the team reach the Super League third-place series for the second consecutive year and earning a spot in the league’s symbolic five for the regular season. As part of Zenit’s main squad, the forward won silver medals in both the VTB United League and the Russian Championship.

Over the past year, Zemskiy played 34 games in the Super League, averaging 17.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 0.8 assists and 0.4 blocks per game. In the VTB United League, he appeared in five games, averaging 2.2 points, 0.6 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 0.2 steals. In the Russian Cup, the forward played two games, averaging 14.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 block and 0.5 steals.

Zenit Basketball Club congratulates Pavel Zemskiy on the contract extension and wish him continued professional growth, sporting success and new achievements as part of the Blue-White-Sky Blues.