What happened to Nicolas Batum's father? Clippers forward dedicates his career to him

Los Angeles Clippers' French professional basketball player, Nicolas Batum, recently opened up to People Magazine about his late father, Richard Batum, who was also a professional basketball player. In an emotional conversation with People Magazine, Nicolas talked about his father and his unfortunate death.

The Clippers' power forward dedicated his basketball career to his father, whom he witnessed collapsing and dying on the court during a French professional game in 1991. Nicolas was just two years old at the time. His father, Richard, emigrated from Cameroon to France to become a professional basketball player.

Richard Batum was 31 when he died, in the middle of a basketball match, due to a ruptured aneurysm in front of his wife, Sylvie, and son, Nicolas. The 36-year-old Nicolas recalled saying, "That's the only memory I have of him" during his interview with People at California's Intuit Dome, which is the LA Clippers' new practice facility. The Intuit Dome was funded by Clippers' owner Steve Ballmer, who privately invested $2 billion into it.

Nicolas revealed that while growing up, and when he became a professional basketball player, witnessing his father's unfortunate death became a "difficult subject at home". Nicolas, who is not only an important player for the Clippers but is also a member of the French National team, explained:

"I started talking about it with people when I got older. They said, 'How do you remember that?' and I'm like, 'I don't know.' I got flashes from that night at the hospital, with my mom crying, stuff like that. It's not an easy memory to have, but I have it."

Nicolas calls himself the opposite of his father, while describing him as a "big man, banger, tough guy", and continued saying:

"I hear a lot of stories, so I kind of knew who he was on the court."

Nicolas Batum has a weird relationship with Basketball

Nicolas Batum, while talking about witnessing his father, Richard, die on the court and then following in his footsteps, said:

"I think I have a weird relationship with basketball. To add that, kind of, ghost, technically, to know what he did, it can kind of gave me a personal challenge to do better than him. I think when you're the son of someone you have that challenge, maybe, to surpass him. Like, he did that, so I have to do that."

Nicolas further added:

"I love the game, but I also know why I got this, as I said, challenge, for me. I think it was to finish something he couldn't do."

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The French NBA star, who earned two silver medals at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo and Paris in 2020 and 2024, respectively, along with an 18-year professional career, feels like he has finally made his late father proud. Nicolas said:

"I'm pretty proud of myself, to be honest. I wanted to do something like my dad was, but I didn't expect to end up captain of the national team and be in the NBA for 18 years. I did my part and I think I finished what he started."

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