Jan Veselý

Jan Veselý
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.
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".

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.
Veselý was drafted by the Washington Wizards with the sixth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Veselý has been a member of the senior men's Czech Republic national basketball team, having previously played for the junior national teams.
Due to his speed and court movement, Veselý has been compared to European NBA superstars Dirk Nowitzki and Andrei Kirilenko.
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.

No. 24 Washington Wizards
Forward
Personal information
Date of birth April 24, 1990 (age 21)
Place of birth Ostrava, Czechoslovakia
Nationality Czech
Listed height 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight 239 lb (108 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft 2011 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall
Selected by the Washington Wizards
Pro career 2007–present
League NBA
Career history
Geoplin Slovan (2007–08)
Partizan Belgrade (2008–11)
Washington Wizards (2011–present)
Career highlights and awards
3× Adriatic League Champion (2009, 2010, 2011)
3× Serbian Champion (2009, 2010, 2011)
3× Serbian Cup Winner (2009, 2010, 2011)
FIBA European Young Player of the Year (2010)