French basketball player Nicolas Batum, just transferred from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Philadelphia 76ers, thanked his ex-coach Tyronn Lue on Thursday for having “saved (his) NBA career”.
“You took me and my family in when I was at the lowest point of my career, and helped me become a part of this organization…thanks to Tyronn Lue and his staff for saving my career,” Batum writes on his social networks.
Batum, along with three other Clippers players, was abruptly sent to Philadelphia this week in return for the arrival of star James Harden, after starting the championship with the Clippers. The French veteran (34 years old) is entering his 16th season in the NBA, probably his last, where he will experience a fourth franchise, after Portland (2008-2015), Charlotte (2015-2020) and the Clippers (2020-2023).
During his last season in Charlotte, he lost a lot of playing time and was only able to be transferred in December 2020, missing the entire start of the 2020-2021 season, when he was no longer in the plans from his ex-team. In Philadelphia, Batum joins last season’s MVP, center Joel Embiid, who recently opted for the American selection after considering joining the French team, of which Batum is captain.
