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50 Years interview: Jiri Zidek, Zalgiris
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Very few players of his generation can identify with European basketball history as closely as Jiri Zidek Jr., center on the Zalgiris Kaunas championship team of 1999, the crowning moment for Lithuania in the first 50 Years of continental competitions. Zidek, whose father starred for the Slavia Prague teams that reached continental finals in the 1960s, had already been among the first European players to win an NCAA title by the time he arrived in Kaunas with former UCLA teammate Tyus Edney in 1999. They helped Zalgiris turn European basketball in a different direction by winning the last Euroleague title of a century with an unabashed dedication to offensive basketball. To make it even more emotional, Zidek's father was in the stands that night in Munich, Germany to see his son become the first Czech player to lift the European club trophy. "It was a great self-satisfaction for me, and of course for him," Zidek recalled. "We relived the moments when he played the 1972 Olympic basketball tournament in Munich, so the atmosphere was special for him, too, being back to the same court 27 years later."
Hello, Jiri. First of all, you helped Zalgiris to win the 1999 Euroleague title. It is the only top continental crown for any Lithuanian club and you know how important basketball is in this country. What do you remember about it?
"I think it was the result of us having a very good season. Maybe we did not have the best roster on the paper but i think we played the best team game. We were pretty well-prepared and rest compared to the teams that we face, Olympiacos in the semifinal and Kinder in the final. They had a much tougher domestic league and we got to the Final Four in really good shape."
Some basketball experts say that Zalgiris winning the 1999 Euroleague title with a fast-paced offense allowed European basketball to recover from a time where all finals were won with 55-60 points. Do you think that Zalgiris set the basis for a better future in European club basketball?
"I don't know if we set a standard but we played fun-to-watch basketball, that's for sure. We played up-tempo game, we rotated and double-teamed in defense and offensively, I think it was a good team cooperation."
Zalgiris arrived in Munich as the underdog of the competition, but played incredible basketball against Olympiacos and Virtus Bologna. How much of a shocker was for you guys?
"You know, I don't think that we considered ourselves to be underdogs, because every time that you come to the final, you try to win it. At that point, you have gone very far in the season, down to the last games and we thought we had pretty chances. Of course, on the paper or for basketball experts it was a little bit different but I don't think we saw it that way. Once we beat Efes Pilsen before the Final Four, also a very good team that year, then I think that everybody knew it was possible."
You also won a NCAA title with UCLA in 1995 with who would later be your teammate in 199 with Zalgiris, Tyus Edney. How do you compare both titles and the feeling you got?
"It is something totally different because college basketball is amateur, you play for the university where you receive free education and you represent your school. Of course, you also get ready for your professional career so maybe the NCAA is maybe a semi-professional competition. It is different than the Euroleague title, that far purely professional sport. Basketball was already my occupation. The college title was the first one, of course, and it was a big win for us. I spent longer time with the same group of people and I felt bigger self-satisfaction because I was a very marginal player in my first two years at UCLA. I didn't play many minutes and for me, it was a bigger surprise that I worked my way into the starting lineup to become the national championship."
You played everywhere in Europe, in places like Spain, Germany or the Czech Republic, among others. What do you think about Lithuanian basketball fans in general, and Zalgiris fans in particular?
"I would say that basketball is very imporant for Lithuanian people, of course. At the time I was in Lithuania, it was a hard time for everybody. Just as the Czech Republic, the country I come from, was in a transition period to market economy and any joy that sports could bring was good to the people. Of course, basketball is well-understood in this country. A lot of people play and follow it. The fans are very knowledgeable about the game, they know what is going on so you cannot fool them."
Jiri, your father had been an all-time great of Europe yet you became the first Czech player to win a continental title. Did that victory resonate with him, considering he had played at the same high level in Europe?
"He was in the gym, of course, because it's only a short drive from Prague to Munich. Of course, we relived the moments when he played the 1972 Olympic basketball Tournament in Munich, so the atmosphere was special for him, too, being back to the same court 27 years later. It was a great self-satisfaction for me, and of course for him, to be able to play at this high level. His options (to win the title) were limited by the regime and I was very happy to see that he was able to see that in person."
Euroleague Basketball has become global in recent times. What's your opinion about the development of European club basketball in the last decade?
"I think that European basketball is, without any kind of doubts, making big strides forwards. European basketball is catching up American basketball, as you can see in the results of international competitions, Olympic or World Championships. The Euroleague is very well-organized and I am hoping it will become a global competition just like the NBA. Maybe within in the United State there will be some broadcast of the games because the quality of the games is sometimes better than in the NBA. It is team game at its best, not so concentrated in individuals like the NBA. I enjoy watching or broadcasting the Euroleague games very much."
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Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Javier Gancedo, Euroleague.net
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