Nicolas Batum Announces Retirement

The 25th overall pick in the 2008 draft, Batum has spent the past 18 years in the league, having suited up for the Trail Blazers, Hornets, Clippers (two different stints) and Sixers.

In 1,205 regular season appearances, including 877 starts, Batum averaged 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks on .436/.371/.831 shooting splits in 28.2 minutes per game. He also appeared in 76 playoff games (28.3 MPG), averaging 8.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.8 SPG and 0.6 BPG on .436/.361/.791 shooting.

Batum said in a May 2025 interview that the 2025/26 season would likely be his last. He re-signed with the Clippers in July 2025 on two-year deal, but the team declined its $5.88MM option on his contract in June, making him an unrestricted free agent.

The 37-year-old forward spent most of the past six years in Los Angeles aside from a one-season stop in Philadelphia after he was traded to the 76ers in as part of the James Harden blockbuster in November 2023.

While Batum didn’t typically put up gaudy statistics, he was a valuable two-way contributor who was highly skilled in multiple aspects of the game. He was a tough, switchable defender whose main calling card was versatility. According to .com, Batum’s NBA contracts were worth approximately $208.7MM over the course of his career.

Batum started his career as a gangly wing in Portland but evolved in recent years into more of a stretch power forward. He played two years professionally with Le Mans in his native France before he was drafted in 2008.

In addition to his NBA accolades, Batum spent 15 years as a member of the French national team, having retired from international competition after he helped his home country win a silver medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. He memorably had a game-saving block in a semifinal matchup against Slovenia at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, where France won another silver medal.

Batum also won two bronze medals with France at the FIBA World Cup and won gold, silver and bronze medals at EuroBasket tournaments from 2011-15.