Sports
In 2001, Pau Gasol landed in the NBA with the Grizzlies after they agreed to a trade with the Atlanta Hawks, who had chosen the Spaniard with the No.3 pick in the draft, in exchange for Shareef Abdur-Rahim. And in his first days in Memphis there was a teammate who went out of his way to help him, to the point of going to meet him at his hotel to welcome him and act as a guide minutes after the Catalan landed in the city. It was Shane Battier, the other rookie whom the Grizzlies had chosen with the No.6 pick in that draft.
They struck up a great friendship and played five seasons together in Memphis, until Battier was traded from the Grizzlies (01-06), to the Rockets (06-11), then had a brief return to Memphis (2011), and played his final years with the Heat (11-14), where he won two rings with LeBron James (2012-13) to complete 13 seasons in the NBA.
Luka Doncic tells LeBron James how a coach made him cry when he was playing for Real Madrid
The 6ft 8in forward averaged 8.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 977 regular season games during his career. And in his heyday with the Heat, he averaged 5.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 210 games. His statistics do not indicate that he was crucial to the Heat’s two consecutive titles, but his extraordinary defense against the rival stars of the time was decisive.
Lost and with no purpose in life
But after his retirement, the glory days of racing evaporated quickly. He felt lost and had no purpose in life and fell into a deep depression. In a recent interview with American journalist and writer Pablo Torre, Battier revealed these problems and confessed the difficult time he experienced when he realized that his time in Miami was over.
Nothing was worse for me than sitting out at a crucial moment, it hurt me deeply. Then I knew I was finished. I felt ashamed and disengaged from everything
For Battier, that was the most humiliating moment of his career: “Nothing was worse for me than sitting out at a crucial moment. That was my identity. It hurt me deeply. That’s when I knew I was finished. I felt embarrassed and disengaged from everything. So when I retired, I was very cynical. And I was very sad, but I was also very cynical.”
Depression led him to isolate himself from the world and lock himself in the darkness that dominated his mind: “I isolated myself from people. I was probably struggling with depression. I didn’t know what it was. I had never had this feeling before. I felt very isolated. I felt like no one understood what I was going through”.
Battier, flanked by Gasol and Fotsis at the Grizzlies Media Day in 2001.MARCA
I isolated myself from people. I was probably struggling with depression. I didn’t know what it was. I felt like no one understood what I was going through
A very common feeling in depression and one that he experienced himself: “I felt very alone and pushed people away. I pushed my wife away and I pushed my kids away. I was a jerk. I wasn’t doing destructive things or drinking every night, but I was emotionally unavailable. I was hurt and angry. I was feeling all these emotions that I had never associated with basketball.”
I pushed my wife away and I pushed my kids away. I was a jerk. I wasn’t doing destructive things or drinking every night, but I was emotionally unavailable. I was hurt and angry
The 7th smartest athlete in the U.S.
No one would have ever thought that a person like him, an intellectual in every sense of the word on and off the court, would be affected by such an ordeal. Battier, who speaks English and German, studied at Duke, where he excelled in finance and sports analytics. In fact, in 2010 he was chosen by Sporting News as the seventh smartest athlete in American sports. But not even a person with such mental capacity was spared from depression.
That intellectual brilliance never went unnoticed among his peers, who held him in high esteem. Dwyane Wade, with whom he shared a team with the Heat, valued his basketball knowledge so much that he even offered him a job with the Utah Jazz after his retirement. And another teammate of his in Miami, LeBron James, the star of that team, corroborated this: “He’s probably the smartest basketball player and person I’ve ever met. He knows everything,” he told Fox Sports.
He is probably the smartest basketball player and person I have ever met. He knows everything
Canadian Joel Anthony, his teammate with the Heat, also commented on the day he was named the seventh smartest athlete in American sports: “I’m not surprised,” he told. “His basketball intelligence is exceptional in terms of understanding and ability to analyze all situations on the court. Even off the court. If a general question comes up, everyone looks at Shane like, ‘Do you know the answer?'”
His basketball IQ is exceptional in terms of understanding and ability to analyze all situations on the court. Even off the court
Fortunately, years later, Shane Battier has been able to get out of that darkness that turned his life into hell to resume his daily life and normalize his family relationships. With the help of therapy, he broke that isolation and with his testimony he shows that no one is free from having their mental health affected, but also that with help you can overcome depression like the one that had him against the ropes.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
NASCAR grants Denny Hamlin a playoff waiver as he’s set to miss Sunday’s Mexico City race due to birth of son
Denny Hamlin will have all his playoff points in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs even though he’s missing Sunday’s race in Mexico City.NASCAR granted Hamlin a waiver to keep his playoff eligibility on Friday after he announced Thursday that he would miss the race. Hamlin and fiancee Jordan Fish welcomed a son this week. The couple now has three children together.Ryan Truex, the brother of former Joe Gibbs Racing driver and Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., will drive Hamlin’s No. 11 for JGR in Mexico City.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHamlin had been open about missing a race if necessary for the birth of his son. Truex had been available as a standby driver in recent weekends as Hamlin and Fish awaited their third child’s arrival.NASCAR tweaked its playoff waiver rules ahead of the 2025 season and said that a driver who skipped a […]
MLB acknowledges that increased drag on baseballs resulting in fly balls traveling 4 feet less this year
Major League Baseball is acknowledging that there has been more drag on the baseballs used in games this season, resulting in long fly balls traveling four feet less than they did last year.The confirmation from MLB responded to a report by The Athletic, which reviewed fly ball and drag information available to the public. The review found that there has been more drag on the ball in 2025 than in any of the previous nine seasons during which MLB has tracked this data.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThose results would appear to indicate that the ball used this season is different. Yet no cause for the increase in drag has been determined. MLB says no intentional changes have been made to the baseballs, which are constructed by Rawlings at a factory in Costa Rica. (MLB purchased Rawlings in 2018.)“We are aware of an increase in […]
Jalen Brunson & Josh Hart praise Tom Thibodeau, Did the Knicks make the right move? | The Herd
THE HERD WITH COLIN COWHERD Trending MLB NFL FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ UFL INDYCAR NASCAR LIV NBA NHL PGA NCAAFB
Colin’s Top QB/HC Combos, Which teams will perform this season? | The Herd
THE HERD WITH COLIN COWHERD Trending MLB NFL FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ UFL INDYCAR NASCAR LIV NBA NHL PGA NCAAFB
Alex Bagé elege Alysson o melhor jogador do Grêmio e dispara contra dois atacantes: “Amuzu e Pavón são atrasos”
Alysson, atacante do Grêmio (LUCAS UEBEL/GREMIO FBPA) Alex Bagé analisou o confronto entre Grêmio e Corinthians na Arena, pela 12ª rodada do Brasileirão Série A. Braithwaite marcou primeiro para o Tricolor Gaúcho, mas Breno Bidon deixou tudo igual ainda no primeiro tempo nesta quinta-feira (12). O resultado manteve o tabu corintiano de 13 partidas sem perder para o Imortal. Na edição de hoje (13) do “Debate Raiz”, Alex Bagé não economizou elogios para Alysson. O jovem ponta de 19 anos foi o autor da jogada que resultou no gol do centroavante dinamarquês. “Esse menino, toda vez que ele toca na bola, ele mostra cara. Tem que dar mais oportunidade. O Alysson hoje é o melhor jogador do Grêmio. Hoje ele tem que ser titular. Tudo que acontece de bom no Grêmio acontece passando pelos pés do Alysson”, analisou o jornalista […]
Caitlin Clark to make her return to Fever lineup vs. Liberty after missing five games with quad strain
Getty Images Caitlin Clark will make her return to the court this Saturday, when the Indiana Fever host the New York Liberty at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the team announced Friday. Clark was initially expected to miss four games after suffering a quad strain during the 90-88 loss to the Liberty on May 24, but instead missed five contests. She said rushing back wouldn't be "worth it," but now feels good enough to return to the lineup. Clark was averaging 19 points, 6 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game before the quad strain injury. She actually hadn't missed a game since high school, and her inactive status on May 28 vs. the Washington Mystics snapped a streak of 185 consecutive games played. With Caitlin Clark and Tyrese Haliburton leading Fever and Pacers, Indy has become center of basketball world Jack Maloney The 4-5 Fever are 2-3 […]
Related
NASCAR grants Denny Hamlin a playoff waiver as he’s set to miss Sunday’s Mexico City race due to birth of son
Denny Hamlin will have all his playoff points in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs even though he’s missing Sunday’s race in Mexico City.NASCAR granted Hamlin a waiver to keep his playoff eligibility on Friday after he announced Thursday that he would miss the race. Hamlin and fiancee Jordan Fish welcomed a son this week. The couple now has three children together.Ryan Truex, the brother of former Joe Gibbs Racing driver and Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., will drive Hamlin’s No. 11 for JGR in Mexico City.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHamlin had been open about missing a race if necessary for the birth of his son. Truex had been available as a standby driver in recent weekends as Hamlin and Fish awaited their third child’s arrival.NASCAR tweaked its playoff waiver rules ahead of the 2025 season and said that a driver who skipped a […]
MLB acknowledges that increased drag on baseballs resulting in fly balls traveling 4 feet less this year
Major League Baseball is acknowledging that there has been more drag on the baseballs used in games this season, resulting in long fly balls traveling four feet less than they did last year.The confirmation from MLB responded to a report by The Athletic, which reviewed fly ball and drag information available to the public. The review found that there has been more drag on the ball in 2025 than in any of the previous nine seasons during which MLB has tracked this data.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThose results would appear to indicate that the ball used this season is different. Yet no cause for the increase in drag has been determined. MLB says no intentional changes have been made to the baseballs, which are constructed by Rawlings at a factory in Costa Rica. (MLB purchased Rawlings in 2018.)“We are aware of an increase in […]
Jalen Brunson & Josh Hart praise Tom Thibodeau, Did the Knicks make the right move? | The Herd
THE HERD WITH COLIN COWHERD Trending MLB NFL FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ UFL INDYCAR NASCAR LIV NBA NHL PGA NCAAFB
Colin’s Top QB/HC Combos, Which teams will perform this season? | The Herd
THE HERD WITH COLIN COWHERD Trending MLB NFL FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ UFL INDYCAR NASCAR LIV NBA NHL PGA NCAAFB
Alex Bagé elege Alysson o melhor jogador do Grêmio e dispara contra dois atacantes: “Amuzu e Pavón são atrasos”
Alysson, atacante do Grêmio (LUCAS UEBEL/GREMIO FBPA) Alex Bagé analisou o confronto entre Grêmio e Corinthians na Arena, pela 12ª rodada do Brasileirão Série A. Braithwaite marcou primeiro para o Tricolor Gaúcho, mas Breno Bidon deixou tudo igual ainda no primeiro tempo nesta quinta-feira (12). O resultado manteve o tabu corintiano de 13 partidas sem perder para o Imortal. Na edição de hoje (13) do “Debate Raiz”, Alex Bagé não economizou elogios para Alysson. O jovem ponta de 19 anos foi o autor da jogada que resultou no gol do centroavante dinamarquês. “Esse menino, toda vez que ele toca na bola, ele mostra cara. Tem que dar mais oportunidade. O Alysson hoje é o melhor jogador do Grêmio. Hoje ele tem que ser titular. Tudo que acontece de bom no Grêmio acontece passando pelos pés do Alysson”, analisou o jornalista […]
Caitlin Clark to make her return to Fever lineup vs. Liberty after missing five games with quad strain
Getty Images Caitlin Clark will make her return to the court this Saturday, when the Indiana Fever host the New York Liberty at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the team announced Friday. Clark was initially expected to miss four games after suffering a quad strain during the 90-88 loss to the Liberty on May 24, but instead missed five contests. She said rushing back wouldn't be "worth it," but now feels good enough to return to the lineup. Clark was averaging 19 points, 6 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game before the quad strain injury. She actually hadn't missed a game since high school, and her inactive status on May 28 vs. the Washington Mystics snapped a streak of 185 consecutive games played. With Caitlin Clark and Tyrese Haliburton leading Fever and Pacers, Indy has become center of basketball world Jack Maloney The 4-5 Fever are 2-3 […]
Be the first to leave a comment