Nico Batum says goodbye after 20 years: this has been his career

Nicolas Batum has decided to end his career as a basketball player. The veteran French forward, 37 years old, announced his retirement this Monday through a video posted on social media in which he communicated the decision to his son Ayden, who is 10 years old.

"Dad has finished playing basketball. I've been playing for a long time. Twenty years as a professional. It's a lot. Eighteen years in the NBA. Fifteen with the French national team. It's over," Batum explained in the video.

The Frenchman made it to the NBA in 2008 after playing two seasons in the French league. At just 19 years old, he was selected as the 25th pick in the Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, marking the beginning of a career that would span 18 seasons in the American competition.

Batum spent his first seven years in Portland before moving to the Charlotte Hornets. He later also played for Los Angeles Clippers and the Philadelphia 76ers, although it was with the Los Angeles franchise that he developed a significant portion of the later stage of his career. During the last six seasons, he was mainly associated with the Clippers.

Last season, he played 74 games with Los Angeles, averaging 4.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. His last contract with the franchise ended after the Clippers declined his $5.9 million option for the 2026-27 season this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

20 years as a professional

Batum finishes his NBA career with averages of 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game, along with a 37.1% shooting accuracy from three-point range. His versatility was one of his main characteristics, being capable of defending different positions and also contributing as an outside shooter.

The Frenchman played 76 playoff games during his NBA career and reached the Western Conference Finals in 2021 with the Clippers. Although he never won a championship, he established himself for years as an extremely useful rotation player due to his ability to contribute in various aspects of the game.

However, his career had a particularly significant dimension with the French national team. Batum dedicated 15 years to the national team and shared the locker room for much of that period with players like Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier.

With France, he won two Olympic silver medals, in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, as well as two bronze medals in the World Championships in 2014 and 2019. He also stood on the podium at the EuroBasket tournaments in 2011, 2013, and 2015.

Batum himself considers that one of the most special moments of his career came precisely at the Paris Olympic Games. France's victory over Germany in the semifinals of 2024 was, as he explained in his video, "the best basketball moment I have ever experienced."

"You have to know when to stop"

The decision to retire is also related to his desire to spend more time with his family. Batum explained to his son that he wants to go home and be with him after so many years dedicated to professional basketball.

"I have decided to retire from basketball for several reasons. I want to go home and be with you. I am going to take care of you and make space for others. I think I have fulfilled my time," he stated.

Batum also recalled that his time with the French national team ended two years ago and that now is the time to definitively close his chapter in the NBA.

"When you have played as much basketball as I have, there comes a time when you have to know when to stop. I have done everything I needed to do," he concluded.

After two decades as a professional, Nicolas Batum leaves basketball with a career marked by his 18 seasons in the NBA and an extensive international career with France.

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