This past spring, Batum made the difficult choice to not suit up for France in international play for the first time in 14 years (counting his time with the Junior National Team). Although it’s a decision that initially haunted him at the time, it was one he felt like he needed to make.
“I’m going to dedicate my summer to this franchise,” said Batum at the time. “I won’t play this summer for the French [National] Team. I’m going to get back on the court and really work on myself to be back next year and [help this] team get back to a playoff spot. The biggest thing when I [made] my decision is I’m going to spend time with my family and my son every day."
Batum dealt with some backlash from the French faithful, a fanbase that has grown accustomed to seeing consistent, sustained success on the international basketball stage.
“Nobody in France is happy about [my decision]. I can understand that. I can understand that because if you miss the National Team, you look like a traitor sometimes. So, that’s tough because I gave so much to [the French team] and some people understand my decision and some of them don’t. That’s life. I can’t really pay attention to it if it hurts a little bit.”
