Nicolas Batum’s NBA run is over.
The veteran forward announced Monday on social media that he has retired as a player, closing the book on an 18-year career that took him from Portland to Charlotte, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Batum was the 25th overall pick in the 2008 draft and went on to appear in games for the Trail Blazers, Hornets, Clippers in two separate stints, and Sixers.
Across 1,205 regular-season games, including 877 starts, Batum put together a steady all-around line: 9.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks per game while shooting .436 from the field, .371 from three and .831 at the line in 28.2 minutes a night. In the postseason, he logged 76 games at 28.3 minutes per contest and averaged 8.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks on .436/.361/.791 shooting.
Batum had already hinted at the end being near. In a May 2025 interview, he said the 2025/26 season would likely be his last. He re-signed with the Clippers in July 2025 on a two-year deal, but Los Angeles declined its $5.88MM option on his contract in June, which left him as an unrestricted free agent.
Most of Batum’s final six NBA seasons came with the Clippers, aside from a one-year stop in Philadelphia after he was sent to the 76ers as part of the James Harden blockbuster in November 2023. By then, he had long settled into the role that defined him: not a high-volume scorer, but a reliable two-way piece who could do a little of everything. He was a tough, switchable defender, and versatility was always his biggest weapon.
Batum entered the league as a slender wing in Portland and eventually grew into more of a stretch power forward. Before the NBA, he spent two professional seasons with Le Mans in France.
His impact wasn’t limited to the NBA. Batum also spent 15 years with the French national team, and he stepped away from international play after helping France win silver at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. He also had one of the signature defensive moments of the Tokyo Games, blocking Slovenia in the semifinal at the 2020 Olympics in a play that helped France claim another silver medal.
France’s medal haul with Batum included two bronze medals at the FIBA World Cup, plus gold, silver and bronze at EuroBasket between 2011 and 2015. According to Basketball-Reference.com, his NBA contracts were worth approximately $208.7MM over the course of his career.
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