 Battie with theMagic in 2008 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1976-02-11)February 11, 1976 (age 49) Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | South Oak Cliff (Dallas, Texas) |
| College | Texas Tech (1994–1997) |
| NBA draft | 1997: 1st round, 5th overall pick |
| Selected by theDenver Nuggets | |
| Playing career | 1997–2012 |
| Position | Center /power forward |
| Number | 4, 40, 7 |
| Career history | |
| 1997–1998 | Denver Nuggets |
| 1999–2003 | Boston Celtics |
| 2003–2004 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2004–2009 | Orlando Magic |
| 2009–2010 | New Jersey Nets |
| 2010–2012 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 5,082 (6.1 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 4,287 (5.1 rpg) |
| Blocks | 713 (0.9 bpg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Demetrius Antonio Battie (born February 11, 1976) is an American former professionalbasketball player. He works as an analyst for theOrlando Magic of theNational Basketball Association (NBA).
Battie attendedSouth Oak Cliff High School[1] in Dallas winning a state championship in 1993. He playedcollege basketball for theTexas Tech Red Raiders where he ended his career as the school all-time leader in blocked shots with 162 blocks. His best season, statistically, was in his junior year when he scored 18.8 points per game, 11.8 rebounds per game, and 2.5 blocks per game.[2]
Battie was drafted fifth overall by theDenver Nuggets in the1997 NBA draft, where he played one season. The Nuggets, who were deterred by Battie's inefficiency during his rookie season, tradedLos Angeles Lakers along withTyronn Lue forNick Van Exel during the1998 NBA draft. Battie, however, did not play for the Lakers due to the then-ongoingNBA lockout. In 1999, he was traded to theBoston Celtics forTravis Knight, and Battie flourished in Boston.
He remained with the Celtics for six years before he was traded to theCleveland Cavaliers along withEric Williams andKedrick Brown in exchange forRicky Davis,Chris Mihm,Michael Stewart, and a second-round pick. The following season The Cavaliers traded Battie to theOrlando Magic forDrew Gooden,Steven Hunter, and the Magic's second-round draft pick,Anderson Varejão.[3]
On June 25, 2009, Battie was traded to theNew Jersey Nets along withRafer Alston andCourtney Lee in exchange forVince Carter andRyan Anderson.[4] In July, 2010 Battie signed a contract withPhiladelphia 76ers as a free agent. He would spend the last two seasons with the 76ers before announcing his retirement.[5]
Battie was a solid role player who only became more valuable with age. As an offensive player, he lacked the skills to be an effective scorer, but he still developed an adept mid-range jump shot. Battie's worth came from his perfected offensive and defensive screens which aided in the team strategy. On the defensive side, Battie was an average rebounder and blocker. As his career progressed, Battie's veteran presence was a helpful tool to young, emerging teams like the Magic and the 76ers.[6]
In September 2000, Battie's then teammate,Paul Pierce, was stabbed at the Buzz Club, a late night dance club in theBoston Theater District; Battie and his brother saved Pierce by rushing him to a nearby hospital.[7]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | Denver | 65 | 49 | 23.2 | .446 | .214 | .702 | 5.4 | .9 | .8 | 1.1 | 8.4 |
| 1998–99 | Boston | 50* | 15 | 22.4 | .519 | .000 | .672 | 6.0 | 1.1 | .6 | 1.4 | 6.7 |
| 1999–00 | Boston | 82 | 4 | 18.4 | .477 | .125 | .675 | 5.0 | .8 | .6 | .9 | 6.6 |
| 2000–01 | Boston | 40 | 25 | 21.1 | .537 | .000 | .638 | 5.8 | .4 | .7 | 1.5 | 6.5 |
| 2001–02 | Boston | 74 | 73 | 24.6 | .541 | .000 | .413 | 6.5 | .5 | .8 | .9 | 6.9 |
| 2002–03 | Boston | 67 | 62 | 25.1 | .539 | .200 | .746 | 6.5 | .7 | .5 | 1.2 | 7.3 |
| 2003–04 | Boston | 23 | 6 | 21.8 | .479 | 1.000 | .697 | 5.1 | .9 | .3 | .9 | 5.9 |
| 2003–04 | Cleveland | 50 | 1 | 19.5 | .427 | .125 | .768 | 4.8 | .7 | .4 | .9 | 5.4 |
| 2004–05 | Orlando | 81 | 32 | 23.4 | .460 | .000 | .723 | 5.6 | .5 | .4 | 1.0 | 4.9 |
| 2005–06 | Orlando | 82* | 82* | 27.0 | .507 | .000 | .664 | 5.6 | .6 | .6 | .8 | 7.9 |
| 2006–07 | Orlando | 66 | 66 | 23.9 | .489 | .000 | .675 | 5.2 | .5 | .4 | .5 | 6.1 |
| 2008–09 | Orlando | 77 | 3 | 15.6 | .489 | .222 | .659 | 3.6 | .4 | .3 | .3 | 4.8 |
| 2009–10 | New Jersey | 15 | 0 | 8.9 | .350 | .250 | .700 | 1.5 | .2 | .3 | .1 | 2.4 |
| 2010–11 | Philadelphia | 38 | 0 | 9.9 | .469 | .667 | .571 | 2.6 | .3 | .1 | .4 | 2.6 |
| 2011–12 | Philadelphia | 27 | 11 | 10.9 | .373 | .000 | 1.000 | 2.5 | .6 | .1 | .2 | 1.6 |
| Career | 837 | 429 | 21.1 | .488 | .162 | .690 | 5.1 | .6 | .5 | .9 | 6.1 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Boston | 16 | 16 | 27.7 | .488 | .000 | .619 | 7.6 | .8 | .6 | 1.9 | 6.1 |
| 2003 | Boston | 10 | 10 | 21.3 | .564 | .000 | .500 | 4.9 | .5 | .4 | 1.4 | 6.6 |
| 2007 | Orlando | 4 | 4 | 21.8 | .389 | .000 | .250 | 4.0 | .3 | .0 | .0 | 3.8 |
| 2009 | Orlando | 21 | 0 | 6.1 | .467 | .000 | .600 | 1.0 | .1 | .0 | .1 | 2.1 |
| 2011 | Philadelphia | 5 | 0 | 7.6 | .429 | .000 | .500 | 2.0 | .0 | .0 | .6 | 1.4 |
| Career | 56 | 30 | 16.2 | .493 | .000 | .550 | 3.9 | .4 | .3 | .9 | 4.1 | |