NICOLAS BATUM ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM NBA AFTER 18 SEASONS

Nicolas Batum has announced his retirement from professional basketball, ending an 18-season NBA career and 21 years as a professional player. He revealed the decision in a social media post dated 21/09/1991 to 21/09/2026. Batum made the announcement at the municipal gym in Pont-l'Évêque, Normandy, where he first learned the game as a child, sitting beside his 10-year-old son, Ayden. The date marks 35 years since his father, Richard, died of a ruptured cerebral aneurysm suffered during a basketball game on 21 September 1991. Nicolas was two years old and in the stands when it happened.

Batum said his father "never really got to live a 'normal' life" because his career ended in a way he did not choose. He said he chose the same date to end his own career on his own terms instead. The Houston Rockets picked him 25th overall in the 2008 NBA draft and traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers that night. He went on to play for the Charlotte Hornets, the LA Clippers and the Philadelphia 76ers, before returning to the Clippers for his final seasons. Across 1,205 regular-season games and 76 playoff appearances, he averaged 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists, while shooting 37.1% from three-point range.

Batum also spent 15 years with the French national team during his career. He won gold at EuroBasket in 2013 and collected Olympic silver medals with France at the Tokyo and Paris Games. He was regarded as one of the NBA's most trusted veteran role players rather than a high-volume scorer. His retirement closes out a professional career spanning both European and American basketball across more than two decades.