After the failure at the 2023 World Cup, Nicolas Batum is back for his last competition with the Blues, after 20 years of service to the national team. The French team begins its preparation with a confrontation on Wednesday, July 3 against Turkey in Rouen.
Published on: 02/07/2024 – 10:09Modified on: 02/07/2024 – 11:01
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Nicolas Batum is a wise man. At 35 today, he was part of the 2013 epic, with a victory at the European Championships, the only title that French men’s basketball currently has.
While France remained on three podiums in as many international competitions (3rd in the 2019 World Cup, finalist in the JO 2021 and Euro 2022), the last edition of the World Cup in 2023 remains stuck in his craw, with an elimination in the first round. The one who sent France in the final of the Tokyo Games hopes to shine at home. The captain of the Blues, who feels ” in shape “, assures that the group will bounce back. ” I feel that no one is afraid, that this deadline is important.he said. We have only one goal, to make a big campaign after the catastrophe of 2023. We know what is ahead of us and we all know what we have to do. Everyone measures the importance of the thing. »
Great and bad times in Blue
Nicolas Batum claims to know why France shone in Tokyo and collapsed at the last World Cup and says he learned from both. The player who is in his 18th professional season, his 16th in the NBA, has become a model of longevity. In 2023, he joined the very exclusive club of players who have played at least 1,000 regular season games, like his former teammates in the national team, Tony Parker and Boris Diaw. He has just signed for two seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, according to information from ESPN. The Frenchman will therefore return to the Clippers at a time when the franchise is preparing to inaugurate its new arena in Inglewood, in the south of Los Angeles.
Nicolas Batum shares the same passion as his father, also a basketball player, who died in the middle of a game, struck down by a heart attack. The kid was only 3 years old at the time. A tragedy that certainly gave him wings to become one of the greatest French representatives in the NBA. But his career with the French team also gives him reasons to be proud.
« With the Blues, I have a lot of memories, he smiled. There have been good and bad times since 2004 and my arrival in the youth team. With France, I had the chance to travel, to meet people. I experienced crazy matches, I lost some, I won some, and I cried for good, for bad, everything you can imagine. »
But Nicolas Batum does not want to think about his last seconds with the Blues. I put myself out of it. Even though my decision is made, I’m like, “I haven’t made my decision yet.” I stay focused on the Olympics, I’ll think about it later.. » And don’t talk to him about a jubilee after the Games, that’s not his thing. But the most important thing is that the Norman has no intention of leaving the international scene on a bad note.
