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George Zidek
No. 25, 52
Center
Personal information
Born (1973-08-02) August 2, 1973 (age 39)
Zlín, Czechoslovakia
Nationality Czech
Listed height 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight 250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school Arabska Secondary
College UCLA (1991–1995)
NBA Draft 1995 / Round: 1 / Pick: 22nd overall
Selected by the Charlotte Hornets
Pro career 1995–2005
Career history
19951997 Charlotte Hornets
1997–1998 Denver Nuggets
1998 Seattle SuperSonics
1998–2000 Žalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania)
2000 Fenerbahçe (Turkey)
2000–2001 Real Madrid (Spain)
2001–2002 ALBA Berlin (Germany)
2002–2003 Asseco Prokom Gdynia (Poland)
2003–2005 ČEZ Basketball Nymburk (Czech Republic)
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points 453 (3.4 ppg)
Rebounds 286 (2.1 rpg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Jiří Zídek, Jr., generally referred to in English as George Zidek (born August 2, 1973, in Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia (now Zlín, Czech Republic), is a retired Czech professional basketball player. He was selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1st round (22nd overall) of the 1995 NBA Draft. Zidek played in 3 NBA seasons for the Hornets, Denver Nuggets and Seattle SuperSonics, averaging 3.4 ppg in his NBA career. He played collegiately at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and was the starting center of their 1995 NCAA championship team.[1]

In 1998, he returned to Europe, joining former UCLA teammate Tyus Edney on Lithuanian power Žalgiris. His first season back in Europe saw him lift the Euroleague championship trophy with Žalgiris, becoming the first Czech ever to win the Euroleague title. Zidek's European career took him to several other teams before he returned to the Czech Republic, where he helped Nymburk to league titles in 2004 and 2005. He took the 2005-06 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, held in Prague. Due to ongoing health problems, he however never returned and in 2006 he announced his retirement.

His father, Jiří Sr., was a star for USK Slavia Prague in the 1960s and 1970s, leading them to victory in the 1969 European Cup Winners' Cup (one of the predecessors to today's Eurocup). The Zideks are the first (and as of 2010, the only) father and son ever to reach Euroleague title games.

See also [edit]

Notes [edit]

  1. ^ Finney, Ryan (2010). "2010–11 UCLA Men's Basketball Media Guide". UCLA Athletic Department. p. 112. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. 

References [edit]

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