Jan Vesely will say goodbye to the basketball court. The player himself has made the decision and announced that he will end his long and successful career when the 2025/26 season comes to a close. The Czech centre, who recently turned 36, will retire after a final four-season spell with Barça, and as a true EuroLeague legend. 

Last dance with the ACB title still in play

After communicating his decision, he assured everyone he will give his all to try to win the last title still at stake: the Liga ACB, although he has missed the last two games due to discomfort in his right knee.

Vesely joined Barça in the summer of 2022 and, across the 264 games he has played so far in the blaugrana jersey, he has displayed his basketball craft and intelligence on the court, combining dominance under the hoops with an excellent mid-range shot. Physical problems (especially during the 2024/25 season) and the demands of the packed schedule have prevented him from helping the team as much as he would have liked. During these four seasons, he has won the 2023 Spanish League title and three Catalan League trophies. He may now have the chance to say farewell to the court during the final regular-season games and the ACB playoffs.

Partizan and Fenerbahçe, with a spell in the NBA

Vesely began playing at Príbor and BK Snakes Ostrava in his native Czech Republic before moving to Slovenia in 2007 to join Geoplin Slovan. In 2008, he signed for Partizan, making his breakthrough at the European elite level as a forward and reaching the EuroLeague Final Four in the 2009/10 season.

His strong performances, titles with Partizan, and huge potential earned him the sixth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, leading to a move to the Washington Wizards. In 2014, he also played for the Denver Nuggets. After 162 NBA games, he returned to Europe by signing for Fenerbahçe.

At the Turkish club, the Czech centre established himself as one of Europe’s top players over eight highly successful seasons. He won the 2017 EuroLeague title and was named EuroLeague MVP in 2018/19 after averaging 12.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and a performance index rating of 17.6 in 25 minutes per game. He was also selected to the All-EuroLeague First Team in 2016, 2018, and 2019.

Record-breaking two-point shooter

Beyond his domestic titles in Serbia and Turkey and his many MVP honors, Vesely is respected throughout European basketball for his commitment on the court and his evolution over 15 EuroLeague seasons. He has played 414 EuroLeague games and will retire as the competition’s all-time leader in two-point field goals (1,701).

He also ranks among the leaders in several major statistical categories: fourth in all-time performance index rating (5,481), sixth in points scored (4,359), third in rebounds (1,906), and third in steals (403).

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