Long-time NBA forward Nikolay Batum ended his playing career, he announced on social media on Monday (Link to video on Twitter).
The 25th overall pick in the 2008 draft, Batum has spent the last 18 years in the league suiting up for Trail Blazers, Hornets, Clippers (two different periods) and Sixers.
In 1,205 regular season games, 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 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 stated in an interview in May 2025 that the 2025/26 season would likely be his last. He resigned with the Clippers in July 2025 on a two-year contract, but the team refused his contract in June is $5.88 million, making him an unrestricted free agent.
The 37-year-old forward has spent most of the last six years in Los Angeles, aside from a one-season stop in Philadelphia after being traded to the 76ers in James Harden blockbuster in November 2023.
While Batum didn’t usually put up flashy stats, he was a valuable contributor who was highly skilled in various aspects of the game. He was a tough, shifty defender whose main calling card was versatility. According to Basketball-Reference.com, Batum’s NBA contracts were worth an estimated $208.7 million over the course of his career.
Batum began his career as a scrappy winger in Portland, but has developed into a more power forward in recent years. He played two years professionally for Le Mans in his native France before being drafted in 2008.
In addition to his NBA honors, Batum spent 15 years as a member of the French national team, retiring from international competition after helping his home country win a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He had a by memory game save block in the semi-final match against Slovenia at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where France won another silver medal.
Batum also won two bronze medals with France at the FIFA World Cup and won gold, silver and bronze medals at the EuroBasket tournaments in 2011-15.