Demetrius Antonio Battie (born February 11, 1976) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He works as an analyst for the Orlando Magic of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA).

High school and college career

Battie attended South Oak Cliff High School"My High School: South Oak Cliff"
''The Dallas Morning News'' sports section online in Dallas winning a state championship in 1993. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the Texas 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.

NBA career

Battie was drafted fifth overall by the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

in the 1997 NBA draft, where he played one season. The Nuggets, who were deterred by Battie's inefficiency during his rookie season, traded Los Angeles Lakers along with Tyronn Lue for Nick Van Exel during the 1998 NBA draft. Battie, however, did not play for the Lakers due to the then-ongoing NBA lockout. In 1999, he was traded to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

for Travis Knight, and Battie flourished in Boston. He remained with the Celtics for six years before he was traded to the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

along with

Eric Williams Eric Eustace Williams (25 September 1911 – 29 March 1981) was a Trinidad and Tobago politician. He has been dubbed as the " Father of the Nation", having led the then-British Colony of Trinidad and Tobago to majority rule on 28 October 1956, ...

and Kedrick Brown in exchange for Ricky Davis, Chris Mihm, Michael Stewart, and a second-round pick. The following season The Cavaliers traded Battie to the Orlando Magic for Drew Gooden,

Steven Hunter Steven Deon Hunter (born October 31, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He is listed as a center (basketball), center. He most recently played for Dinamo Basket Sassari, Dinamo Sassari. High school and college career H ...

, and the Magic's second-round draft pick, Anderson Varejão. On June 25, 2009, Battie was traded to the New Jersey Nets along with Rafer Alston and Courtney Lee in exchange for

Vince Carter Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. (born January 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who played for 22 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, b ...

and Ryan Anderson. In July, 2010 Battie signed a contract with Philadelphia 76ers as a free agent. He would spend the last two seasons with the 76ers before announcing his retirement. 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.

Personal life

In September 2000, Battie's then teammate,

Paul Pierce Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), predominantly with the Boston Celtics. As of September 2024, he is a contributo ...

, was stabbed at the Buzz Club, a late night dance club in the Boston Theater District; Battie and his brother saved Pierce by rushing him to a nearby hospital.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

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Playoffs

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Battie, Tony 1976 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Dallas Boston Celtics players Centers (basketball) Cleveland Cavaliers players Denver Nuggets draft picks Denver Nuggets players New Jersey Nets players Orlando Magic players Philadelphia 76ers players Power forwards Texas Tech Red Raiders basketball players