Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Nicolas Batum Says Some French Fans Are Celebrating His Injury

Charlotte Hornet star Nicolas Batum, has suffered a torn ligament in his left elbow and will miss 8-to-12 weeks. This is a low blow for the Hornets on their quest to reach the NBA playoffs again. 8-12 weeks means that Batum isn’t likely to return before Christmas, while having to follow the action from the sidelines for at least twenty to thrity games.

Interestingly enough, this brought joy to the faces of some French basketball fans. Batum, who has played for the French national team ever since he was a teenager, passed on this year’s EuroBaskets to focus on the upcoming season with the Hornets. A lot of French fans were mad about his decision and are now even celebrating his injury and taunt him on social media.

Batum said:

“I know (some) people in France are happy about it; that’s the sad part. Really, for real. I got on stuff and people are happy like I deserve it. … Trust me, I get those reactions on social media.”

While he added that he also got a lot of support from his home country, it is somewhat surprising that some fans are this gloating and unappreciative. Batum has always given his all when playing for Team France. In 2009, when he was playing for the Blazers, Nic even played through a shoulder injury that would have required immediate surgery, in order to not letting his team down at the 2009 Eurobaskets. He paid the price for it later. He had to undergo shoulder surgery after all and missed over 4 months of the NBA season.