Nic Batum can still play.
The former Charlotte Hornets forward showed that this past season with the Los Angeles Clippers and proved it again Thursday at the Olympics when his swat sent France to the gold medal game.
In the final seconds with France clinging to a 90-89 lead, Slovenia’s Klemen Prepelic thought he could beat Batum one-on-one to make the game-winning layup. But Batum, who’s 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, played solid defense, keeping his arms in while Prepelic drove against him before reaching out and blocking the shot off the backboard, preserving the win.