Former Hornets forward Nicolas Batum to retire after 2024 Olympics
Former Charlotte Hornets forward and current member of the LA Clippers, Nicolas Batum, will retire after the conclusion of the 2024 Paris Olympics. This is according to his wife, Lily Batum, via a reply on Twitter Monday morning. Batum will be ending his time as a member of the French National Team in addition to seeing his time in the National Basketball Association come to an end.
After beginning his career in Portland, Batum landed in Charlotte via trade before the 2015-16 season. The Hornets sent Gerald Henderson Jr. and Noah Vonleh to the Trail Blazers to acquire the veteran forward. Batum was able to help the Hornets reach the playoff in his first season, a first-round loss in Game 7 to the Miami Heat. The Hornets have been able to make it back to the postseason since.
The now 34-year-old veteran was with the Hornets for five seasons during the mid-2010s. Batum had a three-year stretch that saw him average 14 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1 steal per game from 2016-2018. This came with making 41.4% of his field goal attempts, including 34% from three-point range. Batum’s final two years in Charlotte saw his scoring drop from 9.3 points in 2018-19 to 3.6 points in 2019-20, a season in which he appeared in just 22 games. This would be his last in Charlotte, as the Hornets waived him in November 2020.
The five years Batum spent in Charlotte were the best of his career. Averaging 12.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1 steal over 308 total games. While he was a better shooter with Portland, making 44.6% of his field goal attempts and 36.3% from deep compared to 41.9% and 34.8% with Charlotte, Batum averaged nearly one point per game more as a Hornet.
After being waived by Charlotte, Batum was claimed by the LA Clippers and has since re-signed twice to remain in Los Angeles. Barring a trade or change of heart, Batum will retire from the NBA as a member of the Clippers.
