Shane Battier

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Battier was born and raised in Birmingham, Michigan, and attended Detroit Country Day School in nearby Beverly Hills, where he won many awards including the 1997 Mr. Basketball award. He was a three-time Michigan High School Athletic Association Class B state champion with teammates Javin Hunter and David Webber. Battier graduated from Detroit Country Day School with a 3.96 grade point average and was named the school's outstanding student in his senior year. He went on to attend Duke, where he played four years under head coach Mike Krzyzewski. He led Duke to two Final Fours, in 1999 and 2001, and won the national championship in 2001. In 2001, Battier was a consensus national player of the year with honors including the Naismith, Associated Press and Sporting News College Player of the Year awards; the John R. Wooden Award; and the Oscar Robertson and Adolph Rupp trophies. The Blue Devils later retired his No. 31 jersey. Battier was three times named the NABC Defensive Player of the Year. He graduated from Duke with a major in religion. Battier was selected by the Vancouver Grizzlies with the sixth pick of the first round of the 2001 NBA draft. He played for the Memphis Grizzlies from 2001 to 2006. On June 28, 2006, Battier was traded by the Grizzlies to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Stromile Swift and the Rockets' number 8 selection Rudy Gay. He played for the Rockets from 2006 to 2011. On February 24, 2011, Battier was traded by the Rockets back to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for center Hasheem Thabeet, DeMarre Carroll, and a 1st round draft pick. He signed with the Miami Heat on December 9, 2011, and won his first NBA Championship in 2012.

In Their Own Story

On February 24, 2011, Shane Battier returned to the Memphis Grizzlies via trade involving Hasheem Thabeet, DeMarre Carroll, and a first-round pick. The return was short but historically significant. Just weeks later, on April 17, in a tense playoff atmosphere, the team found themselves trailing by two points late in the game. Battier stepped up to take the final shot, draining the three-pointer that sealed a victory. This moment marked the first time in franchise history that the Grizzlies had won a playoff game, finally breaking the curse of their initial 12 consecutive playoff defeats.

Reader's Guide

Battier was a versatile player with the size to play inside and the range to score from further out (particularly the corner three-pointer). He made his living as a hustle player on the defensive end, where he defended three positions (shooting guard, power forward, small forward) with a high degree of skill, netted a good number of blocks and steals, dove for loose balls, and frequently drew offensive fouls from his opponent. He has often been called 'the ultimate glue guy' for playing sound, fundamental, team-oriented basketball, making his teammates more effective without flash or padding his own stats, and for making the most of his skills with discipline and hustle rather than raw athleticism. He is also known for his extensive preparation in studying the opposing team and the player he is assigned to guard.

Did You Know?

• Battier held the unofficial record among NCAA Division I men's players for most games won in a career with 131, a record that fell in 2017 to Gonzaga's Przemek Karnowski.
• In the 2012 NBA Finals, Battier's 57.7 three-point shooting percentage is the highest ever recorded by a player who made 15 or more three-pointers in an NBA Finals series.
• Battier was a two-time Academic All-American and Academic All-American of the year in 2001.