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Jiří Welsch
	Welsch, with Unicaja Málaga, in 2009.
Personal information
Born	27 January 1980 (age 44); Pardubice, Czechoslovakia
Nationality	Czech
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
NBA draft	2002: 1st round, 16th overall pick
	Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career	1997–2018
Position	Shooting guard / small forward
Career history
1997–1998	BK JIP Pardubice
1998–2000	Sparta Prague
2000–2002	Union Olimpija
2002–2003	Golden State Warriors
2003–2005	Boston Celtics
2005	Cleveland Cavaliers
2005–2006	Milwaukee Bucks
2006–2010	Unicaja Málaga
2010–2011	Estudiantes
2011–2012	Spirou Charleroi
2012–2017	ČEZ Nymburk
2017–2018	BK Pardubice
Career highlights and awards
	Adriatic League champion (2002); 3× Czech Player of the Year (2000, 2005, 2006); 3× Czech League champion (2013–2015); 2× Czech Cup winner (2013, 2014); Slovenian League champion (2001); 2× Slovenian Cup winner (2001, 2002); Slovenian Cup MVP (2002);
	Stats at NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball Reference

Jiří Welsch (Czech pronunciation: [ˈjɪr̝iː ˈvɛlʃ]) (born 27 January 1980) is a Czech former professional basketball player for BK Pardubice of the Czech Republic National Basketball League. He has also represented the senior Czech Republic national basketball team. Welsch has played in the National Basketball Association in the United States, having been drafted in 2002 by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Professional career

Early years

Welsch began his professional career as a teenager with BK JIP Pardubice of the Czech Republic League, where he played until 1998. He then signed with CSA Sparta Prague of the Czech Republic League for the 1998–99 season, and then he moved to Union Olimpija Ljubljana of the Slovenian League, where he played until 2002. He was named the Slovenian League Most Valuable Player following the 2001–02 season campaign.

NBA

Welsch was drafted by the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers with the 16th selection of the 2002 NBA draft, but he was immediately traded to the Golden State Warriors for a future first-round draft pick and a future first- or second-round draft pick.^[1] He spent one season with the Warriors, averaging 1.6 points per game, 0.8 rebounds per game, and 0.7 assists per game in 37 games in the 2002–03 season before he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, along with Antawn Jamison, Chris Mills and Danny Fortson, in exchange for Evan Eschmeyer, Nick Van Exel, Avery Johnson, Popeye Jones and Antoine Rigaudeau on 18 August 2003.^[2] Without ever playing a game for them, Welsch, along with Mills, Raef LaFrentz and a lottery-protected 2004 NBA draft pick, was traded by Dallas to the Boston Celtics on 20 October 2003 in exchange for Antoine Walker and Tony Delk.^[3] Welsch started 68 games for the Celtics in the 2003–04 season, averaging 9.2 points per game.^[4]

Welsch averaged 8.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game in 136 games played (100 of them starts) in 2003–04 and 2004–05, while playing with the Celtics. On 24 February 2005, Welsch was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a future 2007 first-round draft pick.^[5]

On 28 June 2005, Welsch was traded by the Cavs to the Milwaukee Bucks for a 2006 second-round draft pick.^[6]

Welsch's final NBA game was played in Game 5 of the 2006 Eastern Conference First Round on 3 May 2006, against the Detroit Pistons. The Bucks would lose the game 93–122 and drop the series to Detroit 4–1, with Welsch recording 2 points, 1 assist and 1 rebound.

Back to Europe

In August 2006, Welsch decided to leave the NBA, and he signed with the Spanish ACB league club Unicaja Málaga.^[4] After playing with Estudiantes Madrid, he signed a contract with Spirou Basket, of Belgium, in July 2011.^[7] In 2012, he signed with ČEZ Nymburk.^[8] He joined BK Pardubice in 2017.

National team career

Welsch has been a member of the senior Czech Republic national basketball team. He played at the following EuroBasket tournaments: the 1999 EuroBasket, the 2007 EuroBasket, the 2013 EuroBasket, the 2015 EuroBasket, and the 2017 EuroBasket.

Career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

NBA

Regular season


Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2002–03	Golden State	37	0	6.3	.253	.250	.759	.8	.7	.2	.1	1.6
2003–04	Boston	81	68	26.9	.428	.381	.743	3.7	2.3	1.2	.1	9.2
2004–05	Boston	55	32	20.5	.428	.323	.773	2.5	1.5	.7	.1	7.5
2004–05	Cleveland	16	0	12.0	.235	.182	.714	1.8	1.2	.3	.0	2.9
2005–06	Milwaukee	58	2	14.9	.387	.286	.747	1.9	1.1	.6	.0	4.3
Career		247	102	18.6	.403	.343	.752	2.4	1.5	.8	.1	6.1

Playoffs


Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2003–04	Boston	4	4	26.0	.478	.250	1.000	3.0	2.3	.5	.0	8.0
2005–06	Milwaukee	4	0	3.8	.500	.000	.750	.8	.5	.3	.0	1.8
Career		8	4	14.9	.481	.250	.923	1.9	1.4	.4	.0	4.9