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Recent Clippers Forward Nicolas Batum Announces Retirement From NBA
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- Recent Clippers Forward Nicolas Batum Announces Retirement From NBA
Nicolas Batum , 37, announced his retirement from the NBA on Monday — putting a period on an 18-year NBA journey and a 20-year professional career (15 with the French national team).
Batum — most recently of the Los Angeles Clippers — took to social media to broadcast his decision with a nearly 10-minute video of him talking with his son, Ayden, back in Pont-l'Eveque, France, at the same gym where his story began in 1991.
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The biggest reason behind the French sharpshooter's decision to step away from the game is a desire to be with his kids. Batum said that he wants to be able to take care of them while also making room for up-and-coming players.
Batum added that after playing basketball for so long, you have to know when to stop, and his time is now.
The Journey
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Batum was drafted by the Houston Rockets with the 25th pick of the 2008 Draft. He was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers the same night, before going on to craft a career with a longevity that many players can only dream of.
Batum played for four NBA teams — including two separate stints with the Clippers, one from 2020 to 2023 and the other from 2024 to 2026.
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He was with the Blazers from 2008 to 2015 and then with the Charlotte Hornets — where he cemented himself as one of the league's elite shooters — from 2015 to 2020. A brief run with the Philadelphia 76ers (2023-24) was sandwiched in between his time in Los Angeles .
Summing up some of Batum's key moments, he had one campaign in his NBA career where he played and started all 82 regular-season games. That was in Portland (2013-14), when he averaged 13 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game — shooting 36.1 percent from three.
Batum tallied 15.2 points per game while playing 41.7 minutes per tilt over 11 playoff starts that year.
His career-best scoring season came in Charlotte (2016-17). He averaged 15.1 points and a career-high 5.9 assists per game. He added 6.2 rebounds per outing.
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Batum had five seasons where he shot north of 40 percent from beyond the arc — four of them with the Clippers. His career-high 43.3 percent from deep came during the 2024-25 campaign, though he only averaged four points per game that year, playing a bit-part role.
Batum was on the 2021 Clippers team that reached the Western Conference Finals. He started 10 of 19 games on that run, shooting 38.9 percent from three and 48.6 percent from the field. He tallied 8.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, along with a playoff career-best 1.3 steals per game.
Batum hangs up his sneakers tied for 29th with Donovan Mitchell on the all-time three-pointers made list (1,842). He is a career 37.1 percent three-point shooter. He scored a total of 11,553 points.
Time To Move On
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In the announcement video, Batum clearly explains to his son why he wants to retire. It is a poignant moment between father and son, with the latter wanting his father to keep playing.
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To that, Batum responded with a powerful: "It's your turn now."
Batum appears keen to pass the torch throughout the production that looks back at all the pivotal moments of his career. He acknowledges just how much he has accomplished in the sport, but also recognizes how many things he had to sacrifice outside of it.
In a way, Batum's goodbye to the game is just a personal closing of a chapter. Because he isn't really planning on leaving, he just wants to reposition himself to best guide his son on his journey. It is a fitting finish, though, as Batum has before expressed his desire to retire as a Clipper.
"The life I've known for 25 years, I'll miss it," he said. "But that's not what I'm looking for anymore. I'm looking for something else. It's over. I'm moving on."
