MIES (Switzerland) - Nic Batum, a star with France for nearly two decades, retired from the international game after doing his thing one last time in the Paris Olympic Final against the USA.
His main role was to guard the opponent's best player, but he also soared through the air for dunks, rebounded and blocked shots. He did whatever coach Vincent Collet asked of him.
"It was my last one with this jersey," Batum said after France's 98-87 defeat. "I spent 15 years playing four World Cups, four EuroBaskets, and four Olympics. I did what I had to do: Seven medals. I'm happy."
Batum's last two medals were silver, at the Summer Games in Tokyo, and three years later in Paris.
"Wearing the French national team jersey is the most beautiful thing that has happened to me in my career, and I will be eternally grateful for it", Batum wrote on his social media platforms on September 16. "Thank you to all my teammates for these lifelong memories, thank you to all the staff we worked with every summer, thank you to Vincent.
Thank you all for your unwavering support and the love you have always given me. We've had our ups and downs, some very high highs and very low lows, but you've always been there."
Here are his Top 10 FIBA games.
Batum led France to the U18 title
At the age of 17, Batum won the U18 EuroBasket 2006 with France. In the Semi-Finals, he had his tournament-high of 24 points to fire France past a Spain team that had future national team stars Ricky Rubio and Victor Claver, 80-67. The 2.03M (6'8") forward also had 9 rebounds in that game. The French went on to win the U18 Final.
Lighting it up on his World Cup debut
In his first-ever game at a World Cup in 2010, Batum had 14 points, 2 blocks and 1 steal as France upset defending champions Spain, 72-66, in Izmir.
Batman scored 19 to lead France to London
At FIBA EuroBasket 2011, the teams that reached the Final qualified for the London Olympics. When Batum poured in 19 points and also had 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocked shots and a steal, France won the Semi-Final against Russia, 79-71, to book their place in London. Batum hit 3 of 5 from deep and was 6 of 8 from the field overall.
Batum goes off against Lithuania at his first Olympics
In just his third game as an Olympian, Batum erupted for 21 points and corralled 6 rebounds to lead France past Lithuania in the Group Phase of the London 2012 Olympics. Batum showed his importance on both ends of the court, also swatting 3 shots and coming up with 2 steals.
From strictly a statistical point of view, this tournament was Batum's best ever in the national team jersey.
Bringing France its only title ever
In the EuroBasket 2013 title game against Lithuania, Batum erupted for 17 points on 6 of 13 shooting, including 3 three-pointers, and also had 6 rebounds and 3 steals as France won the FIBA EuroBasket for the first time. He was the best scorer for France in the Final and played 37 minutes.
Long-range Nicolas
Batum was the best player on the floor in the 2014 World Cup Semi-Final against Serbia, drilling an eye-popping 8 of 12 shots from behind the arc en route to 35 points! He was 11 of 17 from the floor overall, 5 of 6 at the free-throw line and finished with game-high efficiency of 32.
France trailed by a lot in the game but mounted a furious comeback behind Batum, only for Serbia to hold on for a 90-85 win. On that day, he underlined his status as one of the best players in international basketball. The 35 points he scored was the highest total in his 177-game national team career.
Batum carried France to the podium
Jolly Saint Nic had 27 points and France hit back from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to stun Lithuania in the Third-Place Game at the World Cup in Madrid. France reached the podium at the event for the first time. Batum was 8 of 12 from the floor, including 2 of 5 from deep, and also had 3 rebounds, 1 assists, 3 steals and a team-best 26 EFF.
Heroics against Spain in Lille
Sometimes the greats show brilliance in defeat, which Batum did in France's 80-75 overtime setback to Spain in their EuroBasket 2015 Semi-Final. Batum's 3-pointer made while falling out of bounds forced overtime. He ended up with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
Defense and toughness to get back on the World podium
Batum was indispensable as France came from behind to beat Australia in the Third-Place Game in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019. If his scoring helped the team five years earlier, it was his defense and toughness in Beijing. He had 6 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals to go with his 9 points in 32 minutes and 29 seconds.
The double-double that lifted France into Tokyo Semi
With France trying to reach the Olympic Semi-Finals for the first time since Sydney 2000, Batum turned in a solid performance - 15 points, 14 rebounds and 3 steals - in an 84-75 triumph over Italy at the Tokyo Olympics. Batum, who was 2 of 4 from long range in that Quarter-Final, finished with a game-high 28 EFF.
The block!
Though he scored only 3 points, Batum came up with the biggest play of his international career, a swat of Klemen Preprelic's layup at the buzzer, to preserve France's 90-89 victory over Slovenia. Batum came out of nowhere and pinned the ball on the backboard. It was his fourth block of the game! Batum also had 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.
This is arguably the most iconic play in the history of French basketball.
FIBA