Shane Battier Of Miami Heat To Retire Next Season?
By Bryan Rose
Shane Battier is a man of his word and when he told the Miami Heat he would sign with them for three seasons, he intended to fulfill his obligation.
Just a few games away from completing his second season in South Beach, Battier intends to play out that final season of his three year contract, but apparently no more as he told USA Today’s Alex Kennedy next year will most likely be his final in the NBA.
Per Kennedy:
"“I think I have one more year,” Battier told USA TODAY Sports. “My contract is up next year and I’ll reassess where I am, but we’ll see. It’s a good possibility, a good possibility. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it and everything in this league is negotiable, but at that point I’ll be 36 and it may be time to do something else.”"
Battier is known as a hard worker who succeeded in the NBA without a size advantage or the physical gifts many of his counterparts had, but has recently come under fire for some dirty tactics on the court – though for any of us who’ve watched Battier’s career, that’s nothing new.
Never one to stuff the stat sheet, Battier will go out, whenever he does, as essentially the prototypical role player so many teams desire. A hard working, no nonsense, do your job type of talent. Shocking how difficult those type of players are to find in the modern day NBA.