The French player has announced the end of his career. The 18-year veteran bid farewell to basketball with a creative ten-minute video posted on social media, for which he returned to the arena in Pont-l'Évêque, the place from which his journey began.
Batum currently lives in Los Angeles, and in the video he confirmed that he had reached the end in conversation with his son. The post came exactly 35 years after the death of his father Richard, who died in 1991 from an aneurysm. Batum's path led from Pont-l'Évêque, via Caen to Le Mans, before he was selected 25th in the NBA draft by the Houston Rockets in 2008 and immediately traded to the Portland Trail Blazers.
He spent seven seasons in Portland, after which five years followed with the Charlotte Hornets. In the 2016/17 season, he averaged 15.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.9 assists. He rounded off his career with the Los Angeles Clippers, with a brief stint in the Philadelphia 76ers. During 18 seasons in the NBA, he transformed from an athletic player attacking the rim to a versatile veteran. He played 1,205 regular season games and 76 in the playoffs, with an average of 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3 assists. His earnings are over $209 million.
He bid farewell to the national team jersey with silver at the Paris 2024 Olympics. In 15 years and 177 caps, he won seven medals, more than any other French player. He won two Olympic silvers (Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024), two World bronze medals (2014 and 2019) and European Championship medals: gold (2013), silver (2011) and bronze (2015). His block against Slovenia in the semi-finals of the Tokyo Olympics remains in the memory of fans because in the last seconds he prevented Klemen Prepač from scoring, which led to France's advancement to the final. He stated: 'I have played good games for the national team, but I feel that the bad ones are remembered more.' He added: 'My three free throws, Spain 2016, semi-final against Argentina (2019)... Does this block erase all that? Please, tell me yes. I think it corrects the mistakes I made. I had to do it.'
The video was primarily addressed to his son Ayden Richard Batuma. 'I have made many sacrifices. I have missed a lot,' Batum said. As the best moment of his career, he highlighted the moment after the game against Germany at the Paris Games, when his son joined him on the court. Batum has already stepped into the world of commentary on TF1 television and confirmed that he will remain connected to the sport he loves. 'I will be able to be at all your games, and even train you,' he said, revealing an interest in working with the youngest. After two decades of giving his all for the team, Nicolas Batum now chooses to be there for his family.
