Versatile French forward Nicolas Batum retiring following 18-year NBA career

LOS ANGELES — Versatile forward Nicolas Batum is retiring following an 18-year NBA career and a long stint with the French national team. The 37-year-old Batum announced his retirement in a social media video with his son on Monday. “I decided to retire from basketball for several reasons,” Batum told 10-year-old son, Ayden, in the video. “I want to come home and be with you. I’m going to take care of you and make room for others. I think I’ve done my time. My time with France ended two years ago. And the NBA is over too. You know, when you’ve played as much basketball as I have, at some point, you have to know when to stop. ... I’ve done everything I needed to do.” Batum played two seasons in the French league before being selected in the first round of the NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. The 6-foot-7 forward spent seven seasons in Portland before playing the next six with Charlotte. Batum spent most of his final six seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, with a short stint in Philadelphia in 2023-24. He also was a stalwart on French national teams that won silver medals in the 2020 and 2024 Olympics. Batum...