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 an outlier from his childhood; by the time he entered Country Day as a seventh-grader, he was already 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m), and was 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) a year later. He was also the only child in the school with a black father and a white mother. Battier was a three-time Michigan High School Athletic Association Class B state champion with teammates Javin Hunter and David Webber. He 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. While at Duke, Battier was often the best defender on the court. He led the Duke Blue Devils men's basketball to two Final Fours, in 1999 and 2001. The Blue Devils lost to the Connecticut Huskies in the 1999 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, but came back to win the national championship by defeating the Arizona Wildcats two years later. 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. Battier (778) and Jason Williams on the 2001 national championship team were one of only two Duke duos to each score over 700 points in a season, the other duo being Jon Scheyer (728) and Kyle Singler (707) in the 2009–10 season. Battier graduated from Duke with a major in religion. After the conclusion of his college career, Battier was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team. Battier was a two-time Academic All-American and Academic All-American of the year in 2001. He was second behind Jon Scheyer in the Duke record book for minutes played in a single season as of March 28, 2010, and had 36 double-figure scoring games in a single season (tied for 5th-most in Duke history, with Scheyer, Jason Williams, and JJ Redick). Battier also held the unofficial record among NCAA Division I men's players for most games won in a career with 131, a record that would fa

In Their Own Story

The tension was palpable as the Heat faced elimination in Game 7 of the 2013 Finals. Battier, who had struggled with his shot all playoffs, found his rhythm when it mattered most. In a climatic fourth quarter, he drained three-pointers that kept Miami alive against the Spurs. When asked about his performance while receiving the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, he offered a simple truth: 'it's better to be timely than good.' This mindset defined his entire tenure. From making the game-winning three in Memphis on April 17, 2011, to sparking the Heat's 27-game winning streak in 2012–13 with a speech following the Super Bowl, Battier was always ready for the moment. He didn't need the spotlight; he needed his team to win.

Reader's Guide

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 in the 2006 NBA draft. He played for the Rockets from 2006 to 2011. On February 24, 2011, Battier was traded by the Houston Rockets back to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for center Hasheem Thabeet, DeMarre Carroll, and a 1st round draft pick. Battier signed on as a member of the Miami Heat on December 9, 2011. He played for the Heat from 2011 to 2014. During the 2012–13 regular season, Battier and the Heat won 27 consecutive games, establishing the NBA's second-longest winning streak (behind the 33 consecutive wins by the 1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers).

Did You Know?

• Battier won his first NBA Championship with the Miami Heat in the 2012 NBA Finals, scoring 58 points in five games and making 15–26 three-point shots. His 57.7 three point shooting percentage in the 2012 NBA Finals is th
• Battier played for the US national team in the 2006 FIBA World Championship, winning a bronze medal.
• Battier was a two-time Academic All-American and Academic All-American of the year in 2001.