Latest news with #ShaneBattier
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"I pushed my wife away, I pushed my kids away, I was a jerk" - Battier admits depression almost ruined his life after he retired from the NBA
"I pushed my wife away, I pushed my kids away, I was a jerk" - Battier admits depression almost ruined his life after he retired from the NBA originally appeared on Basketball Network. Basketball was everything to Shane Battier, and so when his career ended, Battier was lost. Although Shane had everything he needed to live comfortably for the rest of his life — money, fame, friends and family — not being part of a team and competing for a greater goal almost drove him crazy and ruined everything he had worked so hard for. Advertisement It all began during his final year in the NBA when Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra started sitting him on the bench during the fourth quarter of games. In the 2014 Playoffs, Battier averaged just 2.3 points per game in 12.6 minutes of playing time. It was worse in the 2014 NBA Finals, where the former Blue Devil played just 33 minutes and scored only five points. "Nothing was worse to me than sitting me in crunch time," admitted Battier during an appearance on the "Pablo Torre Finds Out" podcast. "That was my identity. It hurt me to my core. That's when I knew I was done. I was embarrassed, and I checked out. And so when I retired, I was very cynical. And I was so sad, but I was also very cynical." Shane struggled after retirement And so, after being "told without being told" that the Heat's best chances to win would be with him on the bench rather than on the court, Battier retired following Miami's loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2014 NBA Finals. Immediately, he an offer from ESPN to be one of the network's men's college basketball analysts. Advertisement Looking back, Shane says that was a big mistake. Although the job was still about basketball, it wasn't the one the 6'8"forward was used to and not the one he truly wanted. Without the passion for what he was doing, Battier struggled on TV and was criticized. Instead of finding the relevance and purpose that he was looking for in retirement, it only made his internal struggles worse to the point that they were starting to affect his personal relationships. "I shut people out," Shane continued. "I was probably battling depression. I didn't know what depression was. I never had this feeling before. But feeling very isolated. I didn't feel anyone understood what I was going through. I felt very alone, and I pushed people away. I pushed my wife away; I pushed my kids away. And I was just a jerk. And I wasn't like doing destructive things, It wasn't like I was drinking every night. But I was emotionally unavailable. And I was hurt, and I was pissed off. I had all these emotions I had never associated with basketball." Related: "God, if you let me get through this, I won't play no more" - Larry Bird describes the moment that made him retire for good Being part of a basketball team again Shane quit ESPN towards the end of 2015, and over a year later, the Heat hired him as Director of Basketball Development and Analytics. Suddenly, with an opportunity to be part of a team — his former NBA team at that — and compete for a championship, even though in a different capacity, Battier started to find his way back before his depression destroyed his life. Advertisement However, in a surprise move, the Birmingham native resigned last year and opted to take a non-basketball position as strategic assistant to Heat CEO and close friend Nick Arison. Shane and his family also left Florida to start a new life in Charlotte. However, it wasn't because of anything negative; it was because Battier was ready to explore new things. "There is so much in life to experience and try my hand at," he said. "So many interesting people around the world. I'm so fascinated about learning. I turned 46, and I feel I have so much to learn and have so much to do in the world still. I needed to go out and explore, and meet and learn. I wanted to learn new industries. It sounds very strange because I love basketball. For me to be truly happy, that's what I need to do." Aside from him and his wife Heidi running his "Battier Take Charge" foundation, Shane has been busy being a professional speaker, podcast host, and most importantly, a sports dad to 16-year-old Zeke, whom he enrolled at Charlotte's Providence Day School and is now a 6'7" promising talent. Shane's 13-year-old daughter, Eloise, is also a youth soccer player in Charlotte, so it's safe to say Battier has his life back and is living it to the fullest. Related: "I would not be able to sleep" - Shane Battier calls out players in the NBA today for missing playoff games This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"Hey, Duke boy, shut the fu*k up and sit in the corner!" - Battier reveals what really happens during players-only meetings in the NBA
"Hey, Duke boy, shut the fu*k up and sit in the corner!" - Battier reveals what really happens during players-only meetings in the NBA originally appeared on Basketball Network. After a storied career at Duke, Shane Battier entered the NBA in 2001, eager to make an impact with the Memphis Grizzlies, who selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft. However, it didn't take long for the 6'8" forward to realize he wasn't in Kansas anymore as the Grizzlies slumped to a 1-11 start to the season, prompting the team to call a players-only meeting. Advertisement Despite being a first-year player, the native of Birmingham, Michigan, believed he could participate in the locker-room discussion. However, Shane soon learned that his status as a former NCAA superstar and a high draft pick didn't mean much among grizzled NBA veterans. Memphis felt the heat early on Although the team had talent (they drafted highly skilled big man Pau Gasol that season), they barely had experience and leadership. In fact, their starting lineup was led by flashy point guard Jason Williams, a 26-year-old who had just gotten traded by the Sacramento Kings. To try and stem the bleeding, the players decided to call a meeting. "So a players-only meeting only happens when you're, you know, getting heat from the media, the fans are on you. All right, look — you're not playing well. Okay, so all the movies say, the captains, the veterans, call a players-only meeting. We're going to air our grievances and have a kumbaya moment, and that's going to propel us to better performance," Battier shared. Advertisement A bona fide winner with the Blue Devils with an impeccable pedigree, having been trained and mentored by the iconic "Coach K," Mike Krzyzewski, Shane was no stranger to being a positive locker room presence. And on this occasion, Battier thought the time was right for him to share his thoughts. "Here I am, full of righteousness, coming from Duke, the Coach K way. Yep. And uh, I'm the first one to stand up, and I say, I got to be honest: the veteran leadership on this team sucks. Very honest, very direct," he disclosed. "And they said, "Hey Duke boy, shut the f**k up. Go sit in the corner. Who are you?' And I was just like, 'Oh man.' I did not read the room." Related: "Dad, you at 17, me at 17, who was better? I said, 'Listen, son...'" - Dominique Wilkins on the moment he realized his son didn't know how great of a player he was A lesson in humility The moment was an eye-opener for Battier into how locker room dynamics in the NBA work. There's a hierarchy, and rookie players like him were expected to simply follow the lead of the veterans. In this situation, the two-time All-Defensive Team member learned a valuable lesson in humility. "Battle" may have come from one of the top college basketball programs in the country with a legendary coach, but in the NBA, he was still a rookie player who needed to earn his place among veteran players. Advertisement "It humbled me, and I realized, man, I can't come in here guns a-blazing, because there's kind of like an ethos, a creed, an unspoken locker room path you got to take to earn credibility. And I hadn't done that to that point. And so I shut my as*, I went to work, right?" Shane recalled. "But I didn't become cynical, didn't become jaded. I wouldn't allow that locker room to change me. So I kept working. And a funny thing happened: the guys who maybe were on the fence and didn't know how to act and win started to have winning attitudes and behaviors. And all of a sudden, you kind of feel the locker room shift a little bit. And we started to believe a little bit," he added. The Grizz finished the 2001-2002 season with a horrendous 23-59 record under head coach Sidney Lowe. However, after Hubie Brown took over the following season, Memphis began showing promise and made three first-round appearances in the NBA Playoffs from 2004-2006. Battier also developed into one of the best defenders in the Association, using his smarts and mastery of angles to make up for a lack of elite athleticism. Related: "I pushed my wife away, I pushed my kids away, I was a jerk" - Battier admits depression almost ruined his life after he retired from the NBA This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shane Battier on LeBron's 45-point performance against the Celtics in Game 6 of 2012 ECF: "It was the greatest game I saw anybody play"
Shane Battier on LeBron's 45-point performance against the Celtics in Game 6 of 2012 ECF: "It was the greatest game I saw anybody play" originally appeared on Basketball Network. In 2011, LeBron James' championship hopes in a Miami Heat uniform fell flat at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. A year later, he stood on the edge of the same cliff, this time against the Boston Celtics in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals. But instead of crashing out, he flipped the narrative and slammed the door on Boston's Big Three era. Advertisement The defining moment of that series came in Game 6, with the Heat teetering on the edge of elimination. The 2003 first-overall pick erupted with surgical fury, delivering a performance so commanding that Shane Battier swore it was the greatest thing his eyes had ever witnessed. "I mean, it was the greatest game I saw anybody play," Battier said of James' 45-point, 15-rebound performance on "Pablo Torre Finds Out." "Given the stakes, given the gravity of the situation, given the historical implications. Historical!" Man on a mission "Batman" wasn't the only guy who thought James's performance was the most brilliant ever on a basketball court. Heat veteran Udonis Haslem also felt the same way as he saw a pissed-off Bron pick the C's apart with terrifying precision. As Torre mentioned, "The Chosen One" dropped five dimes on top of 45 and 15 on a 19-for-26 clip! Advertisement Truth be told, James did not rise to the occasion when it mattered the most in the 2011 Finals. He never led in scoring in any game of the series while attempting only 10 shots in total in the fourth quarter of Games 4 to 6. As a result, he earned a reputation as somebody who couldn't finish the job and someone who lacked the killer instinct. The 2012 East Finals were starting to look like another heartbreak for LeBron. In Game 5, the image of Paul Pierce drilling a three on his face to give Boston a narrow win deepened the narrative. LBJ had 30 points and 13 rebounds, but he failed to score a single basket in the final 8:12 of the game. When Game 6 rolled around and the Heat facing elimination, the four-time NBA MVP decided to take matters into his own hands. After a 12-12 deadlock in the first quarter, Miami steamrolled Boston, leading by as much as 22, and settled for a 19-point win, 98-79. Game 7 was much closer, but "The Chosen One" made sure he saved the best for last. He dropped 11 of his 31 in the fourth period, including a three-pointer that stretched the lead to seven, a lead Miami never relinquished en route to a 101-88 victory. Advertisement Related: "God, if you let me get through this, I won't play no more" - Larry Bird describes the moment that made him retire for good Shane weighs in on the GOAT debate For Torre, "The Akron Hammer's" "seize the throne" moment in the 2012 ECF was his first real step towards all-time greatness. Battier agreed, all the more so that James won the first of his four championships later that year. As per usual, the Duke product had jokes to go along with it. "I'm always going with LeBron (in the GOAT debate) for a simple reason," Battier declared. "LeBron did something twice that Jordan, I don't think, could have done once. He won two NBA titles with Shane Battier as a starting power forward. No way Jordan could have done that. As great as Jordan was, LeBron dragged me across the finish line." Advertisement Battier's GOAT argument may be tongue-in-cheek and self-deprecating, but there's a kernel of truth to it. Game 6 was LeBron taking control of the narrative and showing he could carry legacy-level weight when it mattered most. Honestly, he could've played alongside an 80-year-old Bob Cousy that night and still come out on top. Related: Shaquille O'Neal reveals which two dunks in his NBA career are his favorite: "He was all over me, and I was like, 'Get the fu** off me'" This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
