Georgy Zhbanov is the first addition this summer

Basketball club Zenit and Russian guard Georgy Zhbanov signed a two-year contract.


Zhbanov has spent the last three seasons with UNICS. In 2021, he won silver medals in the VTB United League, followed by bronze the next year, and in the recently concluded season, he clinched the gold medals.


Zenit GM Alexander Tserkovny:


— With his performance in the past season, I believe, Georgy deserved the title of the best defensive player in the league. If he had been in Zenit, the composition of the final pair would definitely have been different.

Zenit guard Georgy Zhbanov:

— I'm glad to join Zenit and the family of St. Petersburg fans. We have met them many times when I have been coming here as an opponent, and the team felt their support throughout the arena. It's pleasant to feel such backing. I will do my best to delight the spectators with good play and, hopefully, trophies. Let's go, Zenit!


Since the age of 16, Zhbanov played for the youth team of Dynamo, and after the club's disbandment, he joined the youth team of Nizhny Novgorod. He played for the team from 2016 to 2020, earning a reputation of a deadly defender. In the summer of 2020, the player moved to Kazan, where he spent the next three seasons.


Now Georgy will be playing in St. Petersburg. Welcome to the family!