Jan Veselý facts for kids
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Veselý with Fenerbahçe in 2021
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| No. 6 – FC Barcelona | |
|---|---|
| Center / power forward | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 24 April 1990 Ostrava, Czechoslovakia |
| Nationality | Czech |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 243 lb (110 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA Draft | 2011 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall |
| Selected by the Washington Wizards | |
| Pro career | 2007–present |
| League | Liga ACB EuroLeague |
| Career history | |
| 2007–2008 | Geoplin Slovan |
| 2008–2011 | Partizan |
| 2011–2014 | Washington Wizards |
| 2014 | Denver Nuggets |
| 2014–2022 | Fenerbahçe |
| 2022–present | FC Barcelona |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Jan Veselý, born on April 24, 1990, is a professional basketball player from the Czech Republic. He plays for FC Barcelona in Spain and also in the EuroLeague, which is a top European basketball competition. Jan is very tall, standing at 2.10 meters (about 6 feet 11 inches). He can play in two main positions: power forward and center. In 2011, the Washington Wizards picked him as the sixth player overall in the 2011 NBA draft. Jan has also been chosen three times for the All-EuroLeague First Team, showing he's one of the best players in Europe.
Contents
Jan Veselý's Basketball Journey
Starting Out in Europe
Jan started playing basketball when he was young. He played for youth teams in Příbor and BK Snakes Ostrava in the Czech Republic. In 2007, he moved to Slovenia. There, he signed with a team called Geoplin Slovan.
Playing for Partizan
In April 2008, Jan joined the Serbian club Partizan. He had a very successful time there, winning nine team trophies. His team also reached the 2009–10 Euroleague Final Four, which is like the semi-finals of the EuroLeague. In 2010, Jan won the FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year Award. This award goes to the best young player in Europe.
Time in the NBA: Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards chose Jan as their sixth pick in the 2011 NBA draft. This meant he was one of the first players picked to join the NBA. When a new coach, Randy Wittman, joined the Wizards, Jan started to play more.
On April 9, 2012, he had a great game against the Charlotte Bobcats. He scored 11 points and got 11 rebounds, which is called a "double-double." Later that month, he scored a career-high 16 points against the same team. In his first NBA season, he averaged 4.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. However, in his second season, his playing time and stats went down.
Short Stop with the Denver Nuggets
On February 20, 2014, Jan was traded to the Denver Nuggets as part of a three-team deal. He played 21 games for them until the end of that season. During this time, he averaged 4.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He also had a career-high 1.3 steals per game.
Success with Fenerbahçe
On August 5, 2014, Jan signed a two-year contract with the Turkish club Fenerbahçe. This move marked a very successful period in his career.
Fenerbahçe made it to the 2015 Euroleague Final Four, which was a first for the team. They lost in the semi-final game to Real Madrid. Jan played well, scoring 20 points and getting 6 rebounds in that game. Fenerbahçe finished fourth in the EuroLeague that season. Jan averaged 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, shooting very well from the field.
In the 2015–16 season, Jan was named the MVP for January. In March 2016, he had an Achilles tendon injury, which meant he missed several weeks of play. He returned in May 2016 for the 2016 Euroleague Final Four. He scored 14 points in an overtime win and was named to the All-EuroLeague First Team for his great performance that season.
On July 9, 2016, Jan signed a new three-year contract with Fenerbahçe. In 2017, Fenerbahçe won the EuroLeague final against Olympiakos, becoming champions for the first time. Jan was a very important part of this winning team. In May 2018, he was again named to the All-EuroLeague First Team. Fenerbahçe reached the 2018 EuroLeague Final Four for the fourth time in a row but lost to Real Madrid in the final. Jan averaged 12.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game that season.
At the start of the 2018–19 season, Jan greatly improved his free throw shooting. He went from being one of the worst free throw shooters to one of the best.
On February 18, 2019, Jan extended his contract with Fenerbahçe for another three years. In May 2019, he was once again named to the All-EuroLeague First Team. Later that month, Jan was named the EuroLeague MVP for the 2018–19 EuroLeague season, meaning he was the most valuable player in the entire league.
After eight successful seasons, Jan left Fenerbahçe on June 21, 2022.
Joining FC Barcelona
On July 1, 2022, Jan Veselý signed a three-year deal with FC Barcelona in Spain. He continues to play in the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague.
Playing for His Country
Jan has been an important member of the senior men's Czech Republic national basketball team. He also played for the Czech Republic's junior national teams when he was younger. He has represented his country in major tournaments like EuroBasket 2013 and EuroBasket 2015.
At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, on July 31, 2021, Jan scored 13 points in a game against the United States men's national basketball team.
Jan's Playing Style
Because of his speed and how well he moves on the court, Jan Veselý has been compared to famous European NBA players like Dirk Nowitzki and Andrei Kirilenko. He even once joked that he saw himself as the "second coming" of Blake Griffin, another exciting NBA player known for his dunks.
Awards and Achievements
Jan Veselý has won many awards and championships throughout his career:
- Team Championships
- Adriatic League with Partizan: 2009, 2010, 2011
- Serbian Basketball League with Partizan: 2009, 2010, 2011
- Serbian Cup with Partizan: 2009, 2010, 2011
- EuroLeague with Fenerbahçe: 2016–17
- Turkish Basketball League with Fenerbahçe: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2021–22
- Turkish Cup with Fenerbahçe: 2016, 2019, 2020
- Turkish Super Cup with Fenerbahçe: 2016, 2017
- Individual Awards
- Europe Young Men's Player of the Year: 2010
- EuroLeague MVP: 2018–19
- 3× All-EuroLeague First Team: 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19
- Turkish Basketball League Finals MVP: 2021–22
- 2× Turkish Basketball League All-star: 2015, 2016
About Jan's Life
Jan Veselý was born on April 24, 1990, in Ostrava. At that time, Ostrava was part of Czechoslovakia, which is now the Czech Republic. His father, also named Jan, used to be a basketball player. His mother played volleyball. Jan also has a younger sister who plays basketball.
Jan is known for being able to speak several languages. He can speak Czech, Slovenian, Serbian, and English.
When he played for Partizan, Jan was a big favorite among the team's fans, known as the Grobari. He was surprised by how popular he became in Serbia, saying that people in the Czech Republic didn't know who he was. The Partizan fans even made up fun slogans using his last name, "Veselý," which means "joyful" in both Czech and Serbian. One slogan was "When Jan plays, we are all joyful!"
After his time with Partizan, Jan said that Belgrade, Serbia, would always be his first home in Europe. He felt that Serbia had given him a great chance to grow as a player. He also said he would love to finish his basketball career playing for Partizan again someday. Living in Serbia also influenced his taste in music; he prefers Serbian music over American or Czech music.
Jan is also very popular with the Fenerbahçe fans. They have their own slogan for him: "Jan Jan Vesely, let's fly Vesely, I can't help dunking!"
Images for kids
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Veselý with Partizan in the Adriatic League in February 2009.
