Jānis Bērziņš (basketball)
Jānis Bērziņš (born May 4, 1993) is a Latvian professional basketball player for BK Ventspils of the Latvian Basketball League. Standing at 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) he plays at the small forward position.
| No. 31 – BK Ventspils | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Small forward | |||||||||||||
| League | LEBL Eurocup | |||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 4 May 1993 Limbaži, Latvia | |||||||||||||
| Nationality | Latvian | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 212 lb (96 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2015 / Undrafted | |||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2009–present | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | BK Valmiera | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | VEF Rīga | |||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | →BK Valmiera | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2016 | VEF Rīga | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Orlandina Basket | |||||||||||||
| 2018–present | Ventspils | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Professional career
Jānis Bērziņš started his pro career in 2009 with Valmiera. He played there for next two seasons when he joined VEF Rīga, signing a multiyear contract. After his first season with VEF he was loaned back to Valmiera. Bērziņš had very successful 2012–2013 campaign. First he played major role for Valmiera, that won Latvian League bronze medals, which was followed by invitation to participate in Adidas Eurocamp, which was held in Treviso, Italy.
In August 2013, after an impressive showing with Latvian team in U20 European Championship, Bērziņš signed an extension with VEF Rīga.[1] He also had contract offer from Spanish powerhouse Barcelona,[2] but instead chose Riga as best place for his development.
Latvian National Team
Jānis has played for Latvian U16, U18 and U20 National Team as well as Senior National Team. In July 2013, Bērziņš was big part of Latvia's historic run at U20 European Championship in Tallinn, Estonia, which was highlighted by making finals, while Jānis was named to All-Tournament team.[3]