Since his selection in the first round, the 25th overall selection of the Houston Rockets in the 2008 NBA Draft, Nicolas Batum has experienced an exponential rise in his career. Although his productivity has often been impaired by injuries, the little striker and shooting guard have emerged stronger each time. Here are the facts you need to know about Nicolas Batum’s career and personal life.
Who is Nicolas Batum of NBA?
Nicolas Batum is a player from the French National Basketball Association (NBA) who plays for the Charlotte Hornets. He was born in Lisieux, France on December 14, 1988. He started his basketball career as a central player while growing up in Normandy (France).
His father, Richard Batum, whom he shared with his younger sister Pauline, also played professional basketball in France. Sadly, Richard Batum died during a game in 1991.
Nicholas was a member of the French national junior team that won the FIBA European Under-16 Championship in 2004. Two years later he became MVP of the FIBA U-18 Championship when the tournament was won by the French national team.
He was considered one of the most outstanding young players in Europe. In the 2008 NBA Draft, he was ranked seventeenth best of the international players born in 1988 by DraftExpress.com. Before joining the NBA, Nicolas Batum played for Lemans Sarthe in France, and during the 2006-2007 French league season, he averaged 3.4 points, 0.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game.
Houston Rockets traded Batum for the rights to Joey Dorsey and Darrell Arthur in the Portland Trail Blazers after he finished 25th in the first round. In the 2008-2009 season, Batum scored the record of 20 points, which contributed to the 109-100 victory over the New Jersey Nets.
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Batum’s first game in the 2009-2010 season did not take place until January 25, 2010, as he missed 45 games due to a cartilage injury to his right shoulder. However, Bantum developed quickly and the first time he scored more than 30 points was during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 27, 2010.
The Portland Trail Blazers traded Batum for the Charlotte Hornets against Gerald Henderson Jr. and Noah Vonleh in June 2015. In November 2015, Batum was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week after leading the Charlotte Hornets to a 3-1 record.
In 2011 he signed a contract with the Stade Lorrain Universite Club Nancy Basket (SLUC Nancy Basket).
Nicolas Batum Injury
The 2017-2018 season was a bad year for Nicolas Batum. This was mainly due to the injuries he suffered during the season. It began with a rupture of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his left elbow, which had been caused in the previous season. He later said in an interview that the injury had plagued him in his first 40 or 50 games.
Pain in his left Achilles tendon also affected his season performance. For the first time in nine years, he did not play for the French national team due to his poor physical condition. Eight years earlier, he had not missed a single Summer Olympic Games with the team. After an MRI scan in March 2018, he was diagnosed with chronic tendinitis of the left Achilles tendon.
Several missed games and a series of 20-minute games followed for him. Some of Batum’s average scores for the 2017-2018 season are 15.1 points, 5.9 assists, and 6.2 rebounds.
Previous injuries include Batum’s first season with the Hornets, which was affected by an ankle injury during the first-round playoff series in April 2015.
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Salary and Net Worth
The Portland Trail Blazers signed a $46 million/4-year contract with Batum. This came after signing a 2012 bid sheet with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the same amount. He joined the Trail Blazers bid in July 2012.
Batum earned $20 million in the 2016-2017 season and $22.4 million in the 2017-2018 season. Prior to the 2016 season, Batum signed a five-year, $120 million extended contract with the Charlotte Hornets and is expected to earn $24 million in the 2018-2019 season.
Nicolas Batum has an estimated net worth of $28 million. In August 2016 he purchased a six-bedroom villa in Cornelius North Carolina. He is said to have paid $3.7 million for the 1.3-hectare waterfront property.
Height, Weight
Nicolas Batum is 6 ft 8 inches (2.03 m) tall and weighs 91 kg (200 pounds). He is known as a defensive player with the ability to defend multiple positions.
