NBA Veteran Gave A Great Quote About What It's Like To Guard The Best Players In The World
As the 35-year-old nears the end of his NBA career, Battier is starting to reflect and appreciate the moments he has left, and that includes the most difficult part of his job.
After a recent game against the Knicks, Battier was asked what he will miss about the game after he retires and responded with this great quote:
"I will miss the feeling of the butterflies before the game, when I know I have to guard Carmelo Anthony, and guard a Kevin Durant, and guard a Kobe Bryant...There's nothing in my life that will ever, ever replicate that feeling. So I try to enjoy it as much as I could. It's not a good feeling. It's not. It's not. But it makes you feel alive."
Battier has twice been named to the NBA's All-Defensive second team, so he has held his own on that end of the court.
Still, it is easy to forget that with so many of the best players in the game playing shooting guard or small forward, those players are often guarded by the same players on opposing teams. For those players, it must be a humbling and stressful life.