Ah, the welcome-to-the-NBA moment. Some players get dunked on. Some get crossed up so hard they consider accounting school. And then there’s Nicolas Batum — thrown straight into the fire to guard prime LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade. As the French vet put it: “Man, it was a long night. A very long night.”
Let’s rewind. The year is 2008. Batum, a lanky 20-year-old rookie from France, weighing all of maybe 190 pounds, is suddenly handed defensive assignments that read like the All-NBA Team. Forget “baptism by fire.” This was “baptism by MVP.” And who was among the worst of the bunch? LeBron James. Not Kobe. LeBron.
Batum recently went full NBA historian during a media appearance: “People ask me all the time — ‘OG, what was it like when you were younger?’ Well, when I got to the NBA, I started over 70 games as a rookie. And my job? Guard that guy, that guy, and that guy.” Batum wasn’t being eased into the league—he was guarding apex predators on Day 1. And he didn’t even get hazard pay.
Apr 17, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nicolas Batum (40) drives past Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the fourth quarter of a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
“Guarding LeBron at that time? Man, it was a long night. A very long night.” And the stats back him up. LeBron and Batum faced off 32 times in the regular season. The King came out on top 19–13. That’s not a sweep, but let’s just say Batum never had a good night’s sleep before those games. 27.9 PPG. 8.2 RPG. 7.5 APG. Meanwhile, Batum wasn’t exactly folding like wet laundry. He averaged a respectable 8.8 PPG. 4.4 RPG. 3.2 APG.
And one shredded defensive assignment per night. Still, LeBron’s scoring was so consistent it could’ve qualified for a 401(k). He wasn’t just putting numbers on the board—he was putting trauma in scouting reports.
When Batum Fought Back
Don’t get it twisted—Batum had his moments. On January 10, 2013, the Frenchman dropped 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists on LeBron’s Miami Heat. LeBron? A triple-double flirt: 15 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists. That might be the only time Batum got the better of him—and you bet it’s framed on a wall in Normandy.
And on March 1, 2012, LeBron said “non merci” to Batum’s defense and went full flamethrower—38 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. Batum added 17 points but also probably needed a new pair of ankles after that one.
Here’s something you didn’t expect: Batum’s chase-down blocks per minute in the 2009–10 season actually rivaled LeBron’s. You heard that right. The man known for his elegant passing and international flair turned into French Iguodala with five highlight chase-downs that year, despite a bum shoulder.
Players like Nick Collison and Deron Williams might still be looking over their shoulder to this day. If LeBron was Batman in transition, Batum was at least Nightwing—still sneaky dangerous.
Batum also faced Kobe 16 times. Kobe’s teams went 9–7, and he averaged 25.9 PPG, with Batum holding his own with 13.5 PPG.
In one 2012 game, Batum dropped 26 points with 3 steals. Not bad, but Kobe responded with 30 points and the usual Mamba glare that aged players five years in one night. Batum often drew defensive duties against Kobe too, which is kind of like being told to hold a lit firework until it cools down.
LeBron James
Let’s not forget why guarding LeBron was such a “long night.” This man has done it all: 4 MVPs, 4 Championships, 13x All-NBA First Team. NBA All-Time Leading Scorer (yep, passed Kareem like it was a Sunday jog). And he’s the only player in NBA history with: 30,000+ points. 10,000+ rebounds. 10,000+ assists.
LeBron opened a whole school (I PROMISE School), became a billionaire, acted in movies, and somehow still finds time to drop 25/8/8 in Year 21. And don’t even get us started on the 3 Olympic gold medals and the fact that he’s probably got more mileage than a 1992 Honda Civic—and yet he’s still outrunning dudes 15 years younger.
While Kobe and LeBron were already matchup nightmares for Nicolas Batum, there was another name from that legendary 2003 draft class who gave him fits—Carmelo Anthony. Batum didn’t hold back on the praise either: “Denver Melo had everything. He was strong first, but post-up, drives, threes, pull-up, iso, jab… like turnaround, bully ball—everything. And I always say he’s the toughest guy I had to guard in my career.” Safe to say, Batum didn’t enjoy facing the Class of ‘03 one bit.
Nicolas Batum deserves flowers just for surviving the NBA version of Dark Souls in his rookie year. LeBron, Kobe, Melo, Dwade—every night was a Hall of Fame mixtape waiting to happen. And LeBron? Well, he was the mixtape.
So next time someone asks Batum what it was like guarding LeBron, don’t expect him to smile. Just expect a deep sigh, maybe a flashback, and possibly a bottle of red wine to numb the trauma.
Because, as the man said, “It was a long night. A very long night.”
The post Not Kobe Bryant but LeBron James Gave 17-Year European Veteran “A Long Night” After NBA Draft appeared first on EssentiallySports.
