The 7-foot Zídek was selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the 1995 NBA draft, with the 22nd overall pick. He was the first Czech player ever drafted by an NBA team, and was then followed by Jiří Welsch, who was drafted in 2002. Zidek spent three seasons in the NBA, playing for the Hornets, the Denver Nuggets, and the Seattle SuperSonics, averaging 3.4 points per game in his NBA career.