By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Before taking his talents to the NBA and eventually returning to Europe and becoming a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion with Fenerbahce in 2017, Jan Vesely enjoyed breakout campaigns with Partizan, staying with the Belgrade outfit from 2008 to 2011.
Constantly linked to a reunion with his former club over recent years, the 35-year-old forward/center countered by confirming the lack of such options.
“There were no talks about a return. People say stuff, like I don’t care to come back. Of course, if there was a contract, I would think about what is best for me. But it never came to that,” the FC Barcelona player mentioned in an interview with Serbian outlet Meridian Sport, heading to Round 21 of the 2025-26 EuroLeague Regular Season and a clash with his former team in Palau Blaugrana on Friday.
“I have always said that I would love to come back, but who knows what the problem is. Perhaps it is not a problem. In any case, there was never any contact,” he added.
His longtime coach at Fenerbahce, Zeljko Obradovic, being in charge of Partizan until his recent exit, might have fueled those rumors.
“Maybe,” admitted Vesely, the Most Valuable Player of the 2018-19 installment of Europe’s premier club competition, under the guidance of Obradovic.
“It was hard for me,” he continued, diving into the departure of the legendary tactician from Partizan in December.
“He threatened us to leave Fenerbahce too, but it was a calculated threat,” he remembered. “And now I sincerely hoped that was the case, that it would end like that.”
“I don’t know the whole story, what the problem was, but I believe that I was all too much for me. I have this strange feeling. But people must understand that the season is not over. Life is not over. The players have stayed. Maybe some do not agree with that, but you must play until the end,” he continued, referring to the reactions of frustrated team supporters.
“For me, it was strange from the start, how the team was built. I never believed all those players were suitable for the way he works. We knew how, [Luigi] Datome, [Nicolo] Melli, [Marko] Guduric, [Bogdan] Bogdanovic,” he also compared the relationships of Obradovic with his most recent players and former Fener players.
The Ostrava native spent eight years at Fenerbahce, between 2014 and 2022, after three NBA seasons and before moving to Barca.
“Istanbul is very, very close to my heart. I really love the city. Beautiful things happened in my life when I was there. I love Belgrade, of course. We stay in August for a month every summer, but it is not like it used to be. I do not go out anymore. With your people, you are always out. I always practice there. I do not have the time to enjoy life in Belgrade like I used to. Train, sleep, and go out on the weekend. However, after eight years, Istanbul became closer to me,” he ranked the Turkish city as the nearest to a hometown.
However, he has a plan for a possible reunion with the team based in the Serbian capital.
“Probably, if I returned to Partizan, getting a passport would be the first thing,” he mentioned.
Over 18 appearances in his 15th EuroLeague campaign, Vesely has tallied 8.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per contest.