Former Duke Star reveals that the Blue Devil connection helped him make the decision to come to South Beach
Shane Battier won his first ever NBA Championship with the Miami Heat last season as a 33 year old and the veteran forward is savouring the experience.
The 11 year veteran spent most of his career at the Memphis Grizzlies and despite having many offers last off season; he decided to join Miami Heat. In a recently given interview to the Duke Chronicle, Battier
revealed that his former coach Mike Krzyzewski pushed him to join Miami.
“[Krzyzewski] was the one who wanted me to go to Miami more than anyone else,” Battier said. “In the end, like always, he was right.”
Another Duke connection which inclined Battier to head to South Beach was Miami’s CEO Nick Arison, who is a former Blue Devil himself. Battier spent four years playing college basketball for Duke and had developed
a friendship with Arison during that time.
Battier had a very successful college career which involved him leading Duke to two final four appearances in 1999 and 2001, with the latter being the Championship winning season. To honour Battier’s commitment
to the Duke Basketball program, his jersey number 31 was retired shortly after his arrival in the NBA.
But unfortunately, Battier’s time in the NBA has not been as successful as his collegiate days. Since his arrival in the league in 2001, Battier’s only major scoring average came during his rookie season when
he put up 14.4 points per game.
Prior to joining Miami, his numbers had constantly been on the decline. Battier averaged 4.8 points last season with the Grizzlies but found peace as he accepted a reserve role with Miami last season.
While Battier is probably the best man to man defender in the league, it wasn’t until the playoffs when Battier starting contributing on the offensive end as he stepped up his scoring to 7 points per game.
But his major input came with his ability to knock down three pointers at critical junctures which helped the Heat land their second ever NBA Championship. Now we know who the Heat need to thank.
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