Battier explains walking away from full-time basketball job with Heat and his new venture
The path was certainly there not only for Shane Battier to become a longtime fixture in the Heat’s front office, but also to hold a possibly bigger voice when team president Pat Riley eventually retires.
But Battier, as much a renaissance man as any player who has ever suited up for the Heat, politely declined to continue along that course, opting instead for a nonbasketball “strategic consultant” role to his longtime friend, Heat chief executive officer Nick Arison.
For the first time, Battier last week explained that decision in a conversation about a new podcast that he recently launched with former NFL quarterback Alex Smith and a prominent business executive.
So why did Battier, in 2021, walk away from his full-time job with the Heat, as the team’s vice president/basketball development and analytics, after five years?
“There is so much in life to experience and try my hand at,” he said. “So many interesting people around the world. I’m so fascinated about learning. I turned 46 this week and I feel I have so much to learn and have so much to do in the world still. I needed to go out and explore and meet and learn. I wanted to learn new industries. It sounds very strange because I love basketball. For me to be truly happy, that’s what I need to do.”
His post-Heat adventure has included giving 15 to 20 corporate speeches annually (“everything from financial service companies to consulting firms”), running his charitable foundation “Battier Take Charge,” joining an investment group to launch an East Asia Super League and formulating plans for a potential book. He also values time spent with his high school-age children at their home in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he moved this year.
His newest project is a podcast with Smith and business executive Ravi Gupta, a partner at Sequoia Capital and former COO and CFO of Instacart.
“Ravi and I went to school together; he had this idea of broadcasting the conversations he and I had,” Battier said. “A lot of the stories from Heat days are similar to his days at Instacart. He knew Alex Smith and said we should do a podcast. It’s natural conversations about business, about leadership, about handling failure, success.”
They named the show “Glue Guys” to “”celebrate all the glue guys and glue gals that make the world go ‘round.”
Battier said listeners will hear about his three seasons with the Heat, including championships in his first two seasons playing alongside LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
“People enjoy hearing stories about Pat Riley, LeBron, the Big 3,” he said. “I could do a podcast just on that Big 3 era.”
In his current consulting role with the Heat, he offers no input in on-court matters.
“Nick and I have had a long relationship, going back well over 20 years to Duke,” he said. “When I told him I wanted to venture out [and leave the analytics job], they said, ‘We value you and would love for you to be part of the organization.’
“I enjoy being a strategic advisor. I give zero input on court,” he added, cracking that “Nick and I talk about how to run a successful organization, exciting things like human resources and arena refurbishments, all the behind-the-scenes part of running organizations that are vital.”
Might he consider a basketball role in the Heat front office down the road, possibly in a post-Riley era?
“I never rule out anything,” he said. “You never say never. My No. 1 goal now is being a dad to high schoolers.”
Battier, who last played in the NBA during the 2013-14 season with Miami (the final year of the Big Three era), said he’s proud of his (and others’) work during his years in the team’s front office and the foundation left behind.
“I was confident in the [analytics] team when I stepped away,” he said. “I’m proud of what the team has built and what they accomplished in the data analytics department.”
