Jānis Bērziņš (basketball)

Jānis Bērziņš (born 4 May 1993) is a Latvian professional basketball player who last played for Legia Warszawa of the Polish Basketball League. Standing at 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) he plays at the small forward position.

Jānis Bērziņš
Free Agent
PositionSmall forward
Personal information
Born (1993-05-04) 4 May 1993
Limbaži, Latvia
NationalityLatvian
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight212 lb (96 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2015: undrafted
Playing career2009–present
Career history
2009–2011BK Valmiera
2011–2012VEF Rīga
2012–2013→ BK Valmiera
2013–2016VEF Rīga
2016–2017Orlandina Basket
2018–2020Ventspils
2020–2021Stelmet Zielona Góra
2021–2022Baxi Manresa
2022Larisa
2022–2023Legia Warsaw
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's Basketball
Representing  Latvia
FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship
Silver medal – second place 2013 Estonia National Team

Professional career

Jānis Bērziņš who in childhood was raised in Latvian most northern town Rūjiena started his professional career in 2009 with BK Valmiera. He played there for two seasons until 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.

On 2 July 2020 he signed with Stelmet Zielona Góra of the Polish League.[3]

On 16 July 2021 he signed with Baxi Manresa of the Spanish Liga ACB.[4]

On 14 January 2022 Berzins moved to Larisa of the Greek Basket League. In 25 league games, he averaged 5.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1 assist, playing around 18 minutes per contest.

On 14 July 2022 he signed with Legia Warszawa of the Polish Basketball League.[5]

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.[6]

References
  1. Euroleague.net
  2. Gigantes.es
  3. Lupo, Nicola (July 2, 2020). "Janis Berzins signs with Stelmet Zielona Gora". Sportando. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  4. Maggi, Alessandro (July 16, 2021). "Janis Berzins signs with Baxi Manresa". Sportando. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  5. "Jānis Bērziņš nowym koszykarzem legii warszawa". legiakosz.com (in Polish). July 14, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  6. FIBA Europe
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