See you almost 36 years old, <a href="https://www.archysport.com/2022/01/nba-giannis-antetokounmpo-and-the-milwaukee-bucks-blow-up-stephen-curry-golden-state-warriors/" title="NBA: Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks blow up Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors”>Nicolas Batum (2.03 m, 35 years old) will begin his 17th season in the NBA. If he completes his two-year contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, he will equal the record holder in this area among the French, Tony Parker. The latter retired at age 37 and after 18 full seasons.
A very exclusive club
Few players in the NBA can boast of longevity. To start this 2024/25 season, there are only 18 players older than Batum, out of the 540 players under contract in the American league. He is the only European on this list. Among this handful of players, there are four ex-MVPs (LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook). And several multiple all-stars (Chris Paul, Kevin Love, Kyle Lowry). The others are role-players who have managed to maximize their careers by beating elite players in their field. The Frenchman is therefore one of them.
“It’s true that 17 years is a long time, I didn’t think I would do so much. It’s not given to everyone” he told NBA Extra a few days ago. Especially since he was supposed to retire in 2024, both with the French team and in the NBA. He is also the 12th active player to have played the most games in the big league (1053). With quite crazy regularity and ability to avoid injuries, since he has always played more than 59 games per season in his entire career, except on two occasions (shoulder surgery in 2009/10, COVID season in 2019/ 20). This year, he is back in shape to start the season, despite his long summer with the France team. He notably took part in the Clippers’ last two pre-season games, averaging 9 minutes.
End up with family
Close to retirement in 2020 – because he no longer got along with the coach James Borrego at the end of his adventure with the Hornets – Batum experienced a real rebirth at the Clippers under the leadership of Tyronn Lue. It was therefore logical that he decided to return the favor by ending his career there. This when he had the choice with… 16 other offers this summer. The situation is also ideal on a personal level, since his family remained living in Los Angeles during his stay in Philadelphia.
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The Norman winger should find a role as a sniper at the end of the chain in attack, and as a Swiss army knife in defense. He should quickly adapt to the game identity and systems he already knows. It remains to be seen whether he will have playing time similar to what he experienced at the Sixers (26 minutes on average last season, 30 in the playoffs). It’s also difficult to see this Clippers team as a contender, while Batum’s ultimate goal remains to finally win an NBA title.
those Nico Batum no dip threes 👌 pic.twitter.com/4mKT3iDWrX
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) October 2, 2024
