Michael Batiste
Michael James Batiste (born November 21, 1977) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time All-EuroLeague selection, Batiste won three EuroLeague championships in 2007, 2009, and 2011 with Panathinaikos. College career. Batiste played college basketball for Long Beach City College and Arizona State University. With the Arizona State Sun Devils, he led the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) in blocked shots during the 1997–98 season, and was named first-team All-Pac-10 for the 1998–99 season. Professional career. After  leaving Arizona State, Batiste had a European stint, representing Spirou Charleroi in the Belgian League (2000–01) and Lauretana Biella (2001–02) in the Italian League. During the 2002–03 NBA season, Batiste played with the Memphis Grizzlies. In 75 games played, he averaged 6.4 points per game and 3.4 rebounds per game, in 16.6 minutes per game. He was also signed by the Los Angeles Clippers in September 2002, but he was waived before playing in any regular season games. In July 2003, following his NBA season, Batiste joined the Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos Athens, and he then played a major role in  a team that won 8 consecutive Greek League championships (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) and 5 consecutive Greek Cups (2005–2009). With Panathinaikos, he also won the EuroLeague championship, by winning the EuroLeague Final Four, in 2007, 2009, and 2011, and the coveted Triple Crown in both 2007 and 2009. In 2010, he was named the Greek League MVP. On July 13, 2012, Batiste signed a one-year contract with the Turkish Super League team Fenerbahçe Ülker. He won the Turkish Cup with Fenerbahçe. On August 7, 2013, Batiste signed a contract for the next season with his  ex-team Panathinaikos. He retired from playing professional basketball, at the end of the 2013–14 season. Coaching career. After he retired from playing professional basketball in 2014, Batiste began a career working as a basketball coach. He started his coaching career as assistant coach with the Canton Charge of the NBA G League. He then worked in the NBA, as a player development assistant for the Brooklyn Nets, and later as an assistant coach of the Charlotte Hornets and the Orlando Magic. Batiste joined the Washington Wizards coaching staff for the 2021–22 NBA season. On February 10, 2022, he was  suspended for two games without pay after attempting to confront a fan three days earlier, during a 100–121 loss to the Miami Heat.