Jan Veselý
Encyclopedia
Jan Veselý 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
.
(Czechoslovakia
then, Czech Republic
now). His father, Jan, is a former basketball player, and his mother a former volleyball
player. Veselý's younger sister, and his girlfriend Eva are both basketball players. Reportedly, he is fluent in Czech
, Slovenian
, Serbian
and English
. Jan Veselý's girlfriend Eva Kodouskova, shown on NBA draft night, is said to be 6'3".
in 2007. He then moved to Partizan Belgrade
in 2008. He won nine club trophies with the club, 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.
, having previously played for the junior national teams.
and Andrei Kirilenko
.
supporters. He stated he was "surprised by his popularity in Serbia, as no one in Czech Republic knew who he was". He would later add his popularity in his homeland had been increasing since the success of his club in the 2009–10 Euroleague
. 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.
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". He also added he would like to wear number 24 once again and that his wish was to end his career in Partizan. 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.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player with the Washington Wizards
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Standing at 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m), Veselý plays the small forward
Small forward
The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall...
and power forward
Power forward (basketball)
Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...
positions. After deciding not to enter the 2010 NBA Draft
2010 NBA Draft
The 2010 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2010 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur...
, he was selected sixth in 2011 NBA Draft
2011 NBA Draft
The 2011 NBA Draft was held on June 23, 2011 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball...
by the Washington Wizards
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
.
Personal life
Jan Veselý was born on April 24, 1990 in OstravaOstrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...
(Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
then, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
now). His father, Jan, is a former basketball player, and his mother a former volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
player. Veselý's younger sister, and his girlfriend Eva are both basketball players. Reportedly, he is fluent in Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
, Slovenian
Slovenian language
Slovene or Slovenian is a South Slavic language spoken by approximately 2.5 million speakers worldwide, the majority of whom live in Slovenia. It is the first language of about 1.85 million people and is one of the 23 official and working languages of the European Union...
, Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. 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 SlovanKD Slovan
KK Geoplin Slovan or KD Slovan is a professional basketball team from Slovenia.-History:A beginning of the club is dating back to 1951 when Stane Urek suggested a formation of a basketball club Poljane at one of Ljubljana high schools. The club got its official right to play in April same year...
in 2007. He then moved to Partizan Belgrade
KK Partizan
Košarkaški klub Partizan is a Serbian professional basketball club. It is part of the multi-sports Belgrade-based club Partizan. The club competes in the Serbian League, Adriatic League and the Euroleague....
in 2008. He won nine club trophies with the club, and also reached the 2009–10 Euroleague Final Four
2009–10 Euroleague Final Four
The 2009–10 Euroleague Final Four was held at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris, France on May 7 and 9, 2010, to determine the winner of the 2009–10 Euroleague. The contestants were four former European champions and three of the previous year's Final Four teams CSKA Moscow, Olympiacos...
. In 2010, Veselý was presented the FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year Award
FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year Award
The FIBA Europe Young Men's Player of the Year Award is an annual award given by FIBA Europe, the European division of FIBA, the international governing body of the sport of basketball, to the best European basketball player aged 22 and under of the year. The inaugural award was given out in the...
. At his last match with Partizan, the final of the 2010–11 Serbian League, the team captain Petar Božić
Petar Božic
Petar Božić is a Serbian professional basketball player. The 1.97 m and 100 kg point guard–shooting guard currently plays with Partizan Belgrade of the Euroleague. Božić is well known for his defense and three-point shooting...
let Veselý lift the winning trophy, while the audience gave him a standing ovation.
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 teamCzech Republic national basketball team
The Czech national basketball team is the national basketball team representing Czech Republic.-Eurobasket 1999:At Eurobasket 1999 in France Czech national team took 12th place after beating Lithuania and Greece in the group phase...
, 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 NowitzkiDirk Nowitzki
Dirk Werner Nowitzki is a German professional basketball player who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association...
and Andrei Kirilenko
Andrei Kirilenko
Andrei Gennadyevich Kirilenko is a Russian-American professional basketball player who plays at the small forward position for the CSKA Moscow in the Russian Professional Basketball League. He also plays for the Russia national basketball team...
.
Popularity in Serbia
Jan Veselý has been the favorite of the PartizanPartizan
Partizan is the Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, and Slovene term for a partisan. It is usually used in those languages to denote a member of the World War II resistance movement, the Yugoslav Partisans, which are always mentioned in those languages without the adjective "Yugoslav", i.e...
supporters. He stated he was "surprised by his popularity in Serbia, as no one in Czech Republic knew who he was". He would later add his popularity in his homeland had been increasing since the success of his club in the 2009–10 Euroleague
2009–10 Euroleague
The Euroleague 2009–10 season was the tenth international basketball club competition for elite clubs throughout Europe under the ULEB umbrella...
. The Partizan supporter created two joke slogans, "When Jan plays, we are all joyful" (Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
: "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
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
and Serbian.
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". He also added he would like to wear number 24 once again and that his wish was to end his career in Partizan. Years of life in Serbia left permanent trace on his music taste as he said he likes Serbian music
Music of Serbia
Serbs and Serbia has a variety of traditional music, which is part of the wider Balkan tradition, with its own distinctive sound and characteristics.-History:...
better than American or Czech music.
Partizan Belgrade
- Adriatic Championship (3): 2009ABA NLB League 2008–09The ABA NLB League 2008–09 season is the 8th season of the Liga ABA. This season saw a return to the competition system in use in 2003–04, when the Final Four Tournament was played at the end of the regular season....
, 2010, 2011 - Serbian Championship (3): 20092008–09 Basketball League of SerbiaThe 2008–09 Basketball League of Serbia season was the 3rd season of the highest professional basketball league in Serbia. It was also 65th national championship played by Serbian clubs inclusive of nation's previous incarnations as Yugoslavia and Serbia & Montenegro.-Locations and...
, 20102009–10 Basketball League of SerbiaThe 2009–10 Basketball League of Serbia season was the 4th season of the Basketball League of Serbia, the highest professional basketball league in Serbia...
, 20112010–11 Basketball League of SerbiaThe 2010–11 Basketball League of Serbia season was the 5th season of the Basketball League of Serbia, the highest professional basketball league in Serbia... - Serbian Cup (3)Kup Radivoja KoraćaKup Radivoja Koraća is the national basketball cup of Serbia. It is run by the Basketball Federation of Serbia.-History:-External links:**...
: 2009, 2010, 2011 - Euroleague Final FourEuroleague Final FourThe Euroleague Final Four is the final four format championship of the Euroleague professional club basketball competition. The Euroleague used the final four format for the first time during the 1987-88 season. It is known as the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four for sponsorship reasons...
20102009–10 Euroleague Final FourThe 2009–10 Euroleague Final Four was held at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris, France on May 7 and 9, 2010, to determine the winner of the 2009–10 Euroleague. The contestants were four former European champions and three of the previous year's Final Four teams CSKA Moscow, Olympiacos...
: 4th Place
External links
- Jan Veselý at the Euroleague.netEuroleagueEuroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
- Jan Veselý at the Draftexpress.com
- Jan Veselý at the AdriaticBasket.com
- Jan Veselý at the Eurobasket.com