Jan Veselý

Jan Veselý (born April 24, 1990) is a Czech professional basketball player for Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Basketball Super League and the EuroLeague. Standing at 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in), he can play both the power forward and center positions. He was selected sixth overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards. In 2016, Veselý earned an All-EuroLeague First Team selection.

Early years

Veselý began playing basketball with the youth clubs of Příbor and BK Snakes Ostrava in the Czech Republic. In 2007, he moved to Slovenia and signed with Geoplin Slovan.

Partizan

In April 2008, he signed a multi-year deal with Serbian club Partizan. 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.

Washington Wizards

Veselý was drafted in the first round by the Washington Wizards with the sixth overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. After Flip Saunders was fired, Veselý saw more minutes on the court under new coach Randy Wittman, who also said that he wanted him to shoot the ball a bit more. On April 9, 2012, he recorded his first double-double, finishing the game with 11 points and 11 rebounds in a win over the Charlotte Bobcats. Veselý continued his success over the Bobcats on April 23, 2012 when he posted a career-high 16 points on 8-8 shooting. He averaged 4.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in his first NBA season. However, in his second season with the Wizards, he averaged just 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game and while shooting just 31% from the free-throw line.

Denver Nuggets

On February 20, 2014, Vesely was traded to the Denver Nuggets in a three-team trade. Until the end of the season, he appeared in 21 games, averaging 4.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and a career-high 1.3 steals per game.

Fenerbahçe

On August 5, 2014, Veselý signed a two-year deal with the Turkish club Fenerbahçe.

Fenerbahçe advanced to the 2015 EuroLeague Final Four, the first time in the team's history that they played in a EuroLeague Final Four. On May 15, 2015, however, they lost in the EuroLeague semifinal game to Real Madrid, by a score of 87–96. Veselý contributed with 20 points and 6 rebounds in the semifinal game. Eventually, Fenerbahçe finished in 4th place in the EuroLeague, after losing in the third-place game to CSKA Moscow, by a score of 80–86. Over 29 EuroLeague games played in the 2014–15 season, Veselý averaged a career-high 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, on 63.3% shooting from the field.

He was the EuroLeague's 2015–16 season selection as the MVP for the month of January. On March 21, 2016, it was announced that he would be sidelined for up to six weeks, due to an Achilles tendon injury, which caused him to miss the entire EuroLeague playoffs against Real Madrid. He'd make his return on May 13, 2016, in the 2016 Final Four match-up against Laboral Kutxa. In his return, he'd record 14 points, in an 88–77 overtime victory against them, while also being announced as a part of the All-EuroLeague First Team, for his performances in the 2015–16 Euroleague season, before his Achilles tendon injury.

On July 9, 2016, Veselý signed a new three-year contract with Fenerbahçe, with NBA opt-out clauses every summer.

Veselý has been a member of the senior men's Czech Republic national basketball team, having previously played for the Czech Republic's junior national teams. He has played at the FIBA EuroBasket 2013 and the FIBA EuroBasket 2015.

Due to his speed and court movement, Veselý has been compared to European NBA superstars Dirk Nowitzki and Andrei Kirilenko.

Note: The EuroLeague is not the only competition in which the player participated for the team during the season. He also played in domestic competition, and regional competition if applicable.

NBA

Regular season

EuroLeague

Club

• Basketball League of Serbia with Partizan for 2009, 2010 and 2011
• Adriatic League with Partizan for 2009, 2010 and 2011
• Serbian Cup with Partizan for 2009, 2010 and 2011
• 2014–15 Final Four with Fenerbahçe
• Turkish Basketball Cup with Fenerbahçe for 2016

Individual

• Europe Young Men's Player of the Year with Partizan for 2010
• Turkish Basketball League All-star with Fenerbahçe for 2015 and 2016
• EuroLeague MVP of the Month with Fenerbahçe for January 2016

Veselý with Partizan in the Adriatic League in February 2009.

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. Veselý's younger sister, and his girlfriend Eva Kodouskova are both basketball players. Reportedly, he is fluent in Czech, Slovenian, Serbian and English.

Veselý was a favorite of the Partizan supporters. He stated he was "surprised by his popularity in Serbia, as no one in Czech Republic knew who he was". The Partizan supporters 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 destination in Europe will always be Belgrade. Partizan, Belgrade and Serbia have given me a great opportunity, which now I can continue in another 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 have left a permanent trace on his musical taste, as he said he likes Serbian music better than American or Czech music.

Veselý is a favorite of the Fenerbahçe supporters as well, with a slogan going "Jan Jan Vesely, I fly Vesely, I can't stay without dunking!" (Turkish: "Jan Jan Vesely, uçalım Vesely, smacı basmadan duramıyorum!").