There is still a chance that small forward Nicolas Batum gets to play in Manila for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in July this year, following his inclusion in the French national team’s 17-man initial pool.
Tiebreaker Times reported earlier this year that the Charlotte Hornets starter was unsure of his participation in the tournament, but being among the 17 players called up for the Les Bleus gives that stint a glimmer of hope.
Batum averaged 14.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 5.8 APG in the 2015-2016 NBA regular season, helping the Hornets reach the playoffs.
France NBT’s Nicolas Batum (Photo c/o FIBA.com)
EuroBasket’s all-time leading scorer Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs leads the 17-man French cast, along with teammate Boris Diaw.
Boris Diaw (FIBA Images)
Also in the pool are Alexis Ajinca, Rodrigue Beaubois, Fabien Causeur, Nando De Colo, Antoine Diot, Mickael Gelabale, Thomas Heurtel, Mouhammadou Jaiteh, Charles Kahudi, Joffrey Lauvergne, Adrien Moerman, Yakuba Ouattara, Florent Pietrus and Kim Tillie.
Evan Fournier and Rudy Gobert have both announced earlier this year that they will be skipping the tournament.
