Jià Âà"George" ZÃÂdek Jr. (born 2 August 1973), is a Czech former professional basketball player who is a sports commentator. He played college basketball in the United States for the UCLA Bruins from 1991 to 1995. He then became the first Czech player ever drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA), when he was selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the 1995 NBA draft. He played in the NBA for a total of three seasons and then played professionally in Europe, before retiring in 2006.
ZÃÂdek was born in Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia (now ZlÃÂn, Czech Republic). His father, Jià ÂàZÃÂdek Sr., was a star for USK Slavia Prague in the 1960s and 1970s, leading them to victory in the European 2nd-tier level 1968âÂÂ69 season's European Cup Winners' Cup (one of the predecessor league's to today's EuroCup). The Zideks are the first (and as of 2010, the only) father and son ever to reach a EuroLeague Finals game.
In 1991, ZÃÂdek relocated to the United States, to attend the University of California, Los Angeles, where he played on the UCLA Bruins men's basketball team from 1991 to 1995. While in America, he became known as George. ZÃÂdek was the starting center of UCLA's 1995 NCAA championship team.
The 7-foot ZÃÂdek was selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the 1995 NBA draft, with the 22nd overall pick. He was the first Czech player ever drafted by an NBA team, and was then followed by Jià ÂàWelsch, who was drafted in 2002. Zidek spent three seasons in the NBA, playing for the Hornets, the Denver Nuggets, and the Seattle SuperSonics, averaging 3.4 points per game in his NBA career.
In 1998, he returned to Europe, joining former UCLA teammate Tyus Edney on the roster of the Lithuanian power à ½algiris. His first season back in Europe saw him lift the EuroLeague championship trophy with à ½algiris, which was the first time a Lithuanian team won the EuroLeague title. He and Edney became the first players to win both an NCAA and a EuroLeague championship. Zidek's European career took him to several other teams before he returned to the Czech Republic, where he helped ÃÂEZ Nymburk to Czech national league titles in 2004 and 2005. He took the 2005âÂÂ06 season off to recuperate from knee surgery, and served at the end of the season as a EuroLeague TV commentator for the EuroLeague Final Four, which was held in Prague. However, due to ongoing health problems, ZÃÂdek never returned to the court as a player, and in 2006 he announced his retirement from playing basketball. He subsequently became a sports commentator for the EuroLeague, working for EuroLeague TV.
He is from a basketball family. His grandfather Jià ÂàZÃÂdek Sr. and his son Jan ZÃÂdek also play or played basketball professionally.