Representing my country was the thing I enjoyed the most, says emotional Welsch

CLUJ-NAPOCA (FIBA EuroBasket 2017) - Back in 1999, the first smartphone hit the market. Manchester United had one of the most amazing comebacks in soccer history, winning the UEFA Champions League with two stoppage time goals in the Final.

In the basketball world, that is the year that Italy won their last continental gold. Now, 1999 is also known as year of birth of Slovenian wunderkind, Luka Doncic. Also, that was the year that Jiri Welsch put on a Czech jersey for the first time. More than 18 years have passed, and on Thursday, Czech Republic's talisman retired from the national team.

Welsch pounding the hardwood in a Czech jersey has become something of a given in recent summers

"I'm going to cry, I know," coach Ronen Ginzburg said after the game.

"I already cried today," added Welsch with a smile on his face during the press conference.

"I hope all players in Czech Republic will have his character. If they follow his character, Czech Republic will have a great future," said Ginzburg, complimenting his leader, saying his only regret is not having the opportunity to work with Jiri when he was a younger player.

Welsch debuted at FIBA EuroBasket 1999, matching up with current Turkish head coach Ufuk Sarica, or with Croatian superstar Toni Kukoc. His personal best at FIBA EuroBasket came in 2007, when he put up 22 points in an overtime loss against Dirk Nowitzki and Germany.

Just by reading that last paragraph, one realizes that Jiri Welsch will have a lot of stories to tell his kids and grandchildren about big time plays and big time players. A lot has changed since his first summer with the national team.

"My first FIBA EuroBasket, a player didn't make the cut and he was crying. This year, we had to call people, talk to them, try to convince them to come to the national team, and that's not the right attitude. That's not the way it should be. For me, [playing for Czech Republic] was the greatest honor. Towards the end of my career, I realized it was the thing I enjoyed the most, representing my country," Welsch said.

His teammates made a nice tribute to him, all wearing Jiri Welsch face-masks in the locker-room after the game. The Welsch family was also there, handing him the game ball from his final game. But even though his long-lasting international career is over, Welsch will stay a part of the FIBA family. He was among the participants of the FIBA TIME-OUT project, and a successful second career might just be starting soon for Jiri.

FIBA