Jan Veselý
 Jan Veselý with Partizan Belgrade. | |
| No. 24 – Washington Wizards | |
|---|---|
| Position | Forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 24, 1990 Ostrava, Czechoslovakia |
| Nationality | Czech |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 239 lb (108 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2011: 1st round, 6th overall pick |
| Selected by the Washington Wizards | |
| Playing career | 2007–present |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Jan Veselý (born April 24, 1990 in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia) is a Czech professional basketball player with the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association in the United States. Standing at 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m), Veselý plays the small forward and power forward positions. After deciding not to enter the 2010 NBA Draft, he was selected sixth in 2011 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards.
Personal life
Jan Veselý was born on April 24, 1990 in Ostrava (Czechoslovakia then, Czech Republic now). His father, Jan, is a former basketball player, and his mother a former volleyball player.[1] Veselý's younger sister, [2] and his girlfriend Eva are both basketball players.[3] Reportedly, he is fluent in Czech, Slovenian, Serbian and English.[4] Jan Veselý's girlfriend Eva Kodouskova, shown on NBA draft night, is said to be 6'3".
Professional club career
Veselý began playing basketball with the youth clubs of Příbor and BK Snakes Ostrava in the Czech Republic. He joined Geoplin Slovan in 2007. He then moved to Partizan Belgrade in 2008. He won nine club trophies with the club,[5] and also reached the 2009–10 Euroleague Final Four. In 2010, Veselý was presented the FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year Award. At his last match with Partizan, the final of the 2010–11 Serbian League, the team captain Petar Božić let Veselý lift the winning trophy, while the audience gave him a standing ovation.[6][7]
NBA Career
Veselý was drafted by the Washington Wizards with the sixth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.
Czech national team
Veselý has been a member of the senior men's Czech Republic national basketball team, having previously played for the junior national teams.
Technique and comparisons
Due to his speed and court movement, Veselý has been compared to European NBA superstars Dirk Nowitzki and Andrei Kirilenko.[8]
Popularity in Serbia
Jan Veselý has been the favorite of the Partizan supporters.[9] He stated he was "surprised by his popularity in Serbia, as no one in Czech Republic knew who he was".[4] He would later add his popularity in his homeland had been increasing since the success of his club in the 2009–10 Euroleague.[10] The Partizan supporter created two joke slogans, "When Jan plays, we are all joyful" (Serbian: "Kad Jan igra, svi smo veseli") and "We are all happy, only Jan is joyful" (Serbian: "Svi smo srećni, samo se Jan Veseli"), as his surname means "joyful" in both Czech and Serbian.[11]
After the end of the 2010–11 season, which had been confirmed to be his last in Partizan, Veselý stated, "My first destionation in Europe will always be Belgrade. [...] Partizan, Belgrade and Serbia have given me a great opportunity, which now I can continue in the other place. Serbia has become my second home".[7] He also added he would like to wear number 24 once again and that his wish was to end his career in Partizan.[7][12] Years of life in Serbia left permanent trace on his music taste as he said he likes Serbian music better than American or Czech music.[13]
Honours
Partizan Belgrade
- Adriatic Championship (3): 2009, 2010, 2011
- Serbian Championship (3): 2009, 2010, 2011
- Serbian Cup (3): 2009, 2010, 2011
- Euroleague Final Four 2010: 4th Place
Individual
References
- ^ Sportal.rs: Jan Veseli: Od Duleta sam mnogo naučio Template:Sr icon (February 7th 2010)
- ^ eKapija.com: Jan Vesely, košarkaš Partizana – veselje se širi na sve strane Template:Sr icon (May 7th 2010)
- ^ Mondo: Veseli, srećan ti put! Template:Sr icon (June 16th 2011)
- ^ a b Sport: Jan Veseli: U Češkoj ne znaju ko sam Template:Sr icon (February 15th 2010)
- ^ Mondo: Pitajte Jana Veselog Template:Sr icon (June 10th 2011)
- ^ Mondo: Veseli odlazi presrećan, Kecman bi još Template:Sr icon (June 8th 2011)
- ^ a b c Mondo: Veseli u Mondu: Iz Amerike – pravac Beograd Template:Sr icon (June 10th 2011)
- ^ S Media.com: Ameri kažu da je Jan Veseli Kirilenkov klon Template:Sr icon (June 2nd 2011)
- ^ Vesti.com: Lepo mu u Beogradu, pa ne žuri u Ameriku Template:Sr icon (January 9th 2011)
- ^ Press: Jan Veseli: Povešću celu familiju u Pariz Template:Sr icon (May 5th 2010)
- ^ Kurir: Jan Veseli: Rašić uz Džordana Template:Sr icon (January 8th 2011)
- ^ S Media.com: Veseli: Kraj karijere u dresu Partizana Template:Sr icon (June 10th 2011)
- ^ The Washington Post: Jan Vesely meets the D.C. media Template:En icon (June 27th 2011)
External links
- Jan Veselý at the Euroleague.net
- Jan Veselý at the Draftexpress.com
- Jan Veselý at the AdriaticBasket.com
- Jan Veselý at the Eurobasket.com
