Jan Veselý facts for kids
_by_Sandro_Halank%E2%80%93007.jpg)
Veselý in 2021
|
|
| 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 | |
|
|
Jan Veselý (born on April 24, 1990) is a professional basketball player from the Czech Republic. He plays for FC Barcelona in Spain's Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. Jan is very tall, standing at 2.10 meters (about 6 feet 11 inches). He can play as a power forward or a center. In 2011, the Washington Wizards picked him sixth overall in the 2011 NBA draft. Jan Veselý has been chosen for the All-EuroLeague First Team three times.
Contents
Jan Veselý's Basketball Journey
Starting Out in Basketball
Jan Veselý began his basketball journey in the Czech Republic. He played for youth clubs like Příbor and BK Snakes Ostrava. In 2007, he moved to Slovenia. There, he joined the team Geoplin Slovan.
Playing for Partizan (2008–2011)
In April 2008, Jan signed a deal with Partizan, a Serbian club. He helped Partizan win nine club trophies. His team also reached the 2009–10 Euroleague Final Four in 2010. That same year, Jan Veselý received the FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year Award. This award recognized him as the best young player in Europe.
Time with the Washington Wizards (2011–2014)
The Washington Wizards chose Jan Veselý as the sixth pick in the 2011 NBA draft. This was a big step for his career. When a new coach, Randy Wittman, joined the team, Jan started playing more. He was encouraged to be more aggressive in his offense.
On April 9, 2012, Jan had a great game. He scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. This is called a "double-double" in basketball. It helped the Wizards win against the Charlotte Bobcats. A few weeks later, on April 23, he scored a career-high 16 points. He made all 8 of his shots in that game. In his first NBA season, he averaged 4.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. However, in his second season, his numbers dropped. He averaged 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds.
Moving to the Denver Nuggets (2014)
On February 20, 2014, Jan Veselý was traded to the Denver Nuggets. This trade involved three different teams. He played 21 games for the Nuggets 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 (2014–2022)
On August 5, 2014, Jan signed a two-year contract with Fenerbahçe, a Turkish club.
Fenerbahçe made it to the 2015 Euroleague Final Four. This was the first time in the team's history. On May 15, 2015, they lost to Real Madrid in the semifinal game. Jan Veselý played well, scoring 20 points and getting 6 rebounds. Fenerbahçe finished fourth in the EuroLeague that year. In the 2014–15 season, Jan averaged 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in the EuroLeague. He also shot 63.3% from the field.
Jan was named the EuroLeague MVP of the Month for January in the 2015–16 season. On March 21, 2016, he had an Achilles tendon injury. This meant he missed several weeks, including the EuroLeague playoffs. He returned on May 13, 2016, for the 2016 Euroleague Final Four. In his return game, he scored 14 points. He was also named to the All-EuroLeague First Team for his great performance before his injury.
_by_Sandro_Halank%E2%80%93040.jpg)
On July 9, 2016, Jan signed a new three-year contract with Fenerbahçe. In 2017, Fenerbahçe won the EuroLeague final against Olympiakos. This was the first EuroLeague championship for the team. Jan Veselý was a very important part of this winning team. In May 2018, he was again named to the All-EuroLeague First Team. This was his second time receiving this honor. Fenerbahçe reached the 2018 EuroLeague Final Four for the fourth time in a row. They lost to Real Madrid in the final game. 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 signed another three-year contract extension with Fenerbahçe. On May 9, 2019, he was named to the All-EuroLeague First Team once more. Later that month, Jan Veselý was named the EuroLeague MVP for the 2018–19 EuroLeague season. This means he was the most valuable player in the entire league.
After eight seasons, Jan Veselý left Fenerbahçe on June 21, 2022.
Playing for FC Barcelona (2022–Present)
On July 1, 2022, Jan Veselý signed a three-year deal with FC Barcelona. He now plays for them in the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague.
Playing for His Country
Jan Veselý has played for the senior men's Czech Republic national basketball team. He also played for the Czech Republic's junior teams when he was younger. He represented his country at the EuroBasket 2013 and EuroBasket 2015 tournaments.
On July 31, 2021, Jan scored 13 points in a game against the United States men's national basketball team. This game was part of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
How Jan Veselý Plays
Jan Veselý is known for his speed and how well he moves on the court. Because of this, some people have compared him to famous European NBA players like Dirk Nowitzki and Andrei Kirilenko. He once even said he saw himself as a "second coming" of Blake Griffin, another exciting basketball player.
Career Statistics
Here are some of Jan Veselý's statistics from his professional career.
NBA Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | Washington | 57 | 20 | 18.9 | .537 | .000 | .532 | 4.4 | .8 | .7 | .6 | 4.7 |
| 2012–13 | Washington | 51 | 4 | 11.8 | .500 | .000 | .308 | 2.4 | .5 | .3 | .3 | 2.5 |
| 2013–14 | Washington | 33 | 1 | 14.2 | .522 | — | .267 | 3.4 | .3 | .6 | .8 | 3.2 |
| Denver | 21 | 0 | 14.6 | .506 | — | .423 | 3.7 | .5 | 1.3 | .8 | 4.4 | |
| Career | 162 | 25 | 15.2 | .521 | .000 | .408 | 3.5 | .6 | .7 | .5 | 3.6 | |
EuroLeague Statistics
| † | Denotes season in which Veselý won the EuroLeague |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Partizan | 17 | 13 | 19.9 | .517 | .056 | .538 | 3.4 | .4 | .5 | .3 | 4.8 | 4.2 |
| 2009–10 | 22* | 22* | 24.8 | .550 | .400 | .625 | 4.9 | 1.4 | .7 | .5 | 8.4 | 9.5 | |
| 2010–11 | 15 | 14 | 27.0 | .536 | .357 | .444 | 3.6 | 1.1 | 1.3 | .9 | 10.1 | 10.3 | |
| 2014–15 | Fenerbahçe | 29 | 9 | 21.9 | .633 | .000 | .491 | 5.4 | .8 | .8 | 1.0 | 11.2 | 13.6 |
| 2015–16 | 23 | 17 | 27.4 | .623 | .667 | .453 | 6.8 | 1.6 | .8 | 1.0 | 11.9 | 15.6 | |
| 2016–17† | 34 | 26 | 24.5 | .563 | .000 | .557 | 4.5 | 1.4 | 1.0 | .6 | 9.6 | 11.7 | |
| 2017–18 | 34 | 26 | 26.6 | .609 | — | .707 | 5.1 | 1.6 | .9 | .7 | 12.5 | 16.0 | |
| 2018–19 | 31 | 11 | 25.1 | .651 | .200 | .787 | 4.7 | 2.4 | 1.4 | .5 | 12.3 | 17.6 | |
| 2019–20 | 18 | 10 | 25.4 | .591 | .000 | .521 | 4.2 | 1.6 | 1.3 | .7 | 8.6 | 12.1 | |
| 2020–21 | 31 | 31 | 28.1 | .668 | .000 | .766 | 5.3 | 2.7 | .9 | .6 | 13.1 | 18.0 | |
| 2021–22 | 22 | 20 | 28.5 | .617 | .333 | .733 | 6.0 | 2.5 | 1.1 | .4 | 13.6 | 18.2 | |
| 2022–23 | Barcelona | 38 | 18 | 20.0 | .577 | .000 | .791 | 4.0 | 1.5 | .8 | .3 | 9.3 | 11.6 |
| 2023–24 | 38 | 37 | 21.9 | .610 | .286 | .798 | 4.3 | 1.3 | 1.0 | .5 | 12.3 | 14.9 | |
| 2024–25 | 24 | 13 | 21.1 | .559 | .500 | .761 | 3.6 | 1.9 | 1.1 | .5 | 9.0 | 11.6 | |
| Career | 376 | 267 | 24.1 | .618 | .304 | .655 | 4.7 | 1.6 | 1.0 | .6 | 10.8 | 13.6 | |
Domestic Leagues Statistics
| Year | Team | League | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 |  Slovan |
1. SKL | 22 | 8.7 | .592 | .313 | .594 | 2.2 | .3 | .4 | .1 | 4.9 |
| 2007–08 | Slovan |
ABA | 21 | 10.8 | .554 | .375 | .667 | 1.6 | .4 | .3 | .3 | 5.3 |
| 2008–09 |  Partizan |
KLS | 6 | 17.5 | .500 | .000 | .667 | 2.2 | 1.3 | .8 | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| 2008–09 | Partizan |
ABA | 24 | 16.0 | .520 | .158 | .683 | 3.1 | 1.1 | .7 | .7 | 4.5 |
| 2009–10 | Partizan |
KLS | 18 | 19.4 | .582 | .214 | .733 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 2.1 | .5 | 9.9 |
| 2009–10 | Partizan |
ABA | 26 | 21.5 | .570 | .306 | .643 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .5 | 8.4 |
| 2010–11 | Partizan |
KLS | 19 | 21.7 | .579 | .333 | .400 | 5.3 | 1.5 | .5 | .7 | 11.8 |
| 2010–11 | Partizan |
ABA | 24 | 23.7 | .607 | .289 | .554 | 4.3 | 1.4 | 1.2 | .7 | 10.4 |
| 2014–15 |  Fenerbahçe |
TBSL | 36 | 21.8 | .590 | .000 | .621 | 5.2 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 10.6 |
| 2015–16 | Fenerbahçe |
TBSL | 36 | 24.3 | .591 | .000 | .677 | 6.1 | 1.5 | .7 | .9 | 12.0 |
| 2016–17 | Fenerbahçe |
TBSL | 33 | 23.9 | .704 | .000 | .743 | 5.4 | 1.5 | 1.0 | .8 | 11.4 |
| 2017–18 | Fenerbahçe |
TBSL | 29 | 20.7 | .639 | .000 | .727 | 4.0 | 1.8 | 1.0 | .5 | 10.5 |
| 2018–19 | Fenerbahçe |
TBSL | 12 | 25.1 | .692 | .000 | .792 | 6.2 | 2.2 | 1.1 | .5 | 12.2 |
| 2019–20 | Fenerbahçe |
TBSL | 6 | 25.1 | .517 | — | .900 | 4.3 | 1.8 | 1.7 | .3 | 6.5 |
| 2020–21 | Fenerbahçe |
TBSL | 25 | 24.1 | .601 | .000 | .731 | 5.2 | 2.8 | 1.2 | .7 | 9.8 |
| 2021–22 | Fenerbahçe |
TBSL | 24 | 25.3 | .667 | .125 | .686 | 6.2 | 2.9 | 1.5 | .7 | 10.7 |
| 2022–23 |  Barcelona |
ACB | 39 | 18.4 | .628 | .333 | .662 | 3.8 | 1.4 | .7 | .1 | 9.3 |
| 2023–24 | Barcelona |
ACB | 31 | 19.1 | .579 | .429 | .724 | 3.8 | 1.5 | .4 | .5 | 9.0 |
Awards and Achievements
Jan Veselý has won many awards and championships throughout his career:
- Team Wins
- 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- EuroLeague Final Four appearances with Fenerbahçe: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
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 with Partizan: 2010
- EuroLeague Basketball 2010–20 All-Decade Team with Fenerbahçe
- EuroLeague Season MVP with Fenerbahçe: 2018–19
- All-EuroLeague First Team with Fenerbahçe: 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19
- EuroLeague MVP of the Month with Fenerbahçe: January 2016, December 2018, January 2021
- EuroLeague Magic Moment of the Season with Fenerbahçe: 2017–18 (alley-oop dunk over Brandon Davies), 2018–19 (alley-oop dunk)
- Turkish Basketball League Finals MVP with Fenerbahçe: 2021–22
- Turkish Basketball League All-star with Fenerbahçe: 2015, 2016
Jan Veselý's Life Outside Basketball
Jan Veselý was born on April 24, 1990, in Ostrava. This city was part of Czechoslovakia back then, but it is now in the Czech Republic. Basketball runs in his family! His father, also named Jan, used to be a basketball player. His mother played volleyball. Jan also has a younger sister who plays basketball. He can speak several languages, including Czech, Slovenian, Serbian, and English.
Jan was very popular with the Partizan supporters (fans). He was surprised by how much people in Serbia knew him. He said that in the Czech Republic, hardly anyone knew who he was. The Partizan fans even made up funny slogans about him. His last name, "Veselý," means "joyful" in both Czech and Serbian. So, they would say things like, "When Jan plays, we are all joyful!"
After the 2010–11 season, which was his last with Partizan, Jan said something special. He stated that Belgrade, Serbia, would always be his first home in Europe. He felt that Partizan and Serbia gave him a great chance to grow. He even said he would like to finish his career playing for Partizan one day. Living in Serbia for years also changed his taste in music. He prefers Serbian music over American or Czech music.
Jan is also a favorite among the Fenerbahçe supporters. They have their own chant for him: "Jan Jan Vesely, let's fly Vesely, I can't help dunking!"
More to Explore
- List of foreign basketball players in Serbia
- List of NBA drafted players from Serbia
See also
In Spanish: Jan Veselý para niños
