“I Wish I Could Be Younger,” Nicolas Batum Reveals His ‘Only Regret’ in the NBA Involving Tyrese Maxey

Nicolas Batum offered a heartfelt reflection on his NBA career this week. The veteran forward said his “only regret” was not getting to play longer alongside Tyrese Maxey. Batum, who spent the 2023-24 season with Maxey in Philadelphia, said he wished he were younger so he could have shared more years with the Sixers guard. He has also revealed that Maxey has become his son’s favorite player.

Batum has spent nearly two decades in the league, which gives the word “regret” unusual weight. When a player with that much mileage says one of the things he wishes he had more of was time with a younger guard, it says something meaningful about Maxey’s impact on the people around him.

Batum clearly saw Maxey as one of those rare teammates whose energy, work ethic, and personality make veterans wish they had caught him at a different stage of their own careers. Currently, Maxey’s standing in the league is much higher than it was when Batum first joined him in Philadelphia. The Sixers guard has gone from rising young scorer to one of the franchise’s central pillars.

Batum’s career numbers tell the story of a versatile, durable veteran who has played almost every supporting role the modern NBA can offer, while Maxey’s numbers show a rising star. Put those two timelines together and Batum’s regret makes perfect sense. He got just enough time with Maxey to understand how special he is, but not nearly enough time to live in that partnership for long.

1. Maxey Becomes Batum’s Son’s Favorite Player

During a recent episode of The Old Man And The Three podcast, Batum said, “If I have one regret, I wish I could have played longer with him [with Tyrese]. Maybe the only regret I would have in my career is like, he’s one of those guys like.” I wish I could have played maybe longer with him. When I was younger, I was maybe too old now to play with him, but I wish I could be younger and play with him longer,” he continued as his emotions kept flowing. He even brought his family into the story. “He’s my son’s favorite player, by far,” Batum said. “Like, my son loves him. He’s got like his jersey, got three jerseys of him, like all over his room. He loves him.” Batum then shared just how rare it is for him to go out of his way after games, which made the story even more telling. “I’ve been to the visitors’ locker room like one time in two years, when we play him, and my son wanted to go see Tyrese Maxey and get his jersey post-game.”

2. Nicolas Batum Reveals Why Tyrese Maxey Left Such a Lasting Mark

Why Maxey? Batum has played with stars across eras, from Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge to Kemba Walker, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Joel Embiid, and now a later-career Clippers core. For him to single out Maxey in this way suggests the relationship was more than just pleasant. It must have been unusually memorable. Part of the answer is likely style. Maxey plays with the kind of pace and optimism that tends to energize veterans rather than wear them down. Batum, throughout his career, has thrived as a connector, i.e., a player who moves the ball, defends multiple positions, spaces the floor, and fills gaps around higher-usage stars. Maxey is almost the ideal guard for that kind of teammate because he can create pressure without monopolizing every possession emotionally. It fits both players’ profiles and the way Batum talked about him. Batum and Maxey overlapped in Philadelphia only during the 2023-24 season after Batum arrived in the James Harden trade, and that limited window clearly left Batum wanting more. Batum appeared in 49 games with Maxey that season, while Batum himself averaged 5.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in those appearances alongside him. That is not a huge sample in career terms, but it was apparently enough to make a lasting impression. Batum is talking about a player whose best years are still ahead of him.

3. How is the Current Season Going for Batum and Maxey

Maxey entered late March as one of the league’s premier offensive guards, and he was averaging career highs of 29.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.7 assists before being sidelined by a tendon injury in his right pinkie. Even after missing time, he returned on March 28 with 26 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds in a win over Charlotte Hornets, suggesting he picked up right where he left off. Philadelphia 76ers improved to 41-33 by beating the Hornets, a result that kept them in the thick of the Eastern playoff race and reinforced how important Maxey remains to everything they do. His season is not just statistically impressive; it is structurally important. The Sixers’ offense looks different when he is available, and the stakes around his health have reflected that for weeks. Batum’s season is quieter, but still telling. His numbers are about 4.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game for the LA Clippers. This kind of lean line tells the story of a veteran deep into the specialist phase of his career. He is no longer there to shape a franchise’s identity. He is there to stabilize lineups, soak up minutes, and provide smart basketball in small doses. Batum is now a complementary veteran on a Clippers team, while Maxey is the sort of player whose absence or return materially changes Philadelphia’s ceiling. Batum is at the stage of preserving value, while Maxey is at the stage of expanding it. He caught Maxey late in his own career and early in Maxey’s rise. What if their clocks had overlapped differently? it could have been one of the more enjoyable partnerships of his basketball life.

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• Nicolas Batum
• Tyrese Maxey