Charlotte Hornets Sign Sessions, Batum

CHARLOTTE, NC (Hornets) – Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has signed guard Ramon Sessions.  Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

A native of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Sessions returns to Charlotte, where he previously played from 2012-14.  In addition to Charlotte, the nine-year NBA veteran has played for Milwaukee, Minnesota, Cleveland, the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento and Washington.  He has appeared in 613 total games (142 starts) with career averages of 10.9 points, 4.2 assists and 2.8 rebounds.

The University of Nevada-Reno product spent the 2015-16 season with the Wizards, where he averaged 9.9 points, 2.9 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 20.3 minutes and was the only player to appear in every games.  Sessions, who led the team in assists seven times and in scoring on four occasions, tallied three double-doubles on the season.  He came off the bench in 77 of his 82 games and averaged 9.4 points in those contests, which ranked sixth in the Eastern Conference among qualified reserve players.

During his previous tenure in Charlotte, Sessions played in 116 total games (seven starts), with averages of 12.5 points, 3.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 25.5 minutes per game.  In 2012-13, he averaged a career-high 14.4 points per game.  Sessions, who came off the bench in each of his 61 appearances that season, scored in double figures in 49 of 61 games played before missing the season’s final 21 contests due to a left knee injury.

The 57th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, Sessions has seen action in 22 career playoff games with averages of 8.7 points, 3.0 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 27.2 minutes.

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Charlotte Hornets General Manager Rich Cho announced today that the team has re-signed guard/forward Nicolas Batum to a multi-year deal. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Ensuring that Nic remained in Charlotte was a top priority for us this offseason and we are thrilled that he has re-signed with us,” Cho said. “Nic brings versatility, skill and playmaking to our roster that complements all of our players and played a significant role in our playoff berth in 2015-16.  We are excited to continue to build on what we’ve accomplished with Nic as a Hornet.”

Batum appeared and started in 70 games with the Hornets in 2015-16, averaging 14.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 35.0 minutes per game. In his eighth NBA season, he posted career highs in points per game, assists per game and field goals made per game and was one of only six qualified players in the NBA to average at least 14 points, six rebounds and five assists during the season, along with Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, James Harden, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. Batum earned his first Eastern Conference Player of the Week award last season, earning the accolade for games played from Nov. 9-15.

The guard/forward from Lisieux, France, totaled 1,046 points, 428 rebounds and 403 assists during the 2015-16 NBA season, becoming only the fourth player in Charlotte NBA history to tally 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 400 assists in a single season (Baron Davis – 2000-01, Jamal Mashburn – 2000-01 and Anthony Mason – 1996-97). In addition, he became the first Charlotte player since Davis in 2000-01 to post multiple triple-doubles in a single season, doing so on Dec. 9 vs. Miami and March 29 vs. Philadelphia.

Charlotte originally acquired Batum from the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for guard Gerald Henderson and forward Noah Vonleh on June 24, 2015. The 25th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Batum has appeared in 551 games (498 starts), averaging 11.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists over eight NBA seasons. He has seen action in 39 total playoff games (29 starts) with averages of 10.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists, including five playoff games with Charlotte in 2015-16.

Batum has been a member of the French National Team since 2009, representing his country in the 2012 Olympics, 2010 FIBA World Championship, 2014 FIBA World Cup and 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015 FIBA European Championships.  He led France to a gold medal in the 2013 European Championship, a silver medal in the 2011 European Championship and bronze medals in the 2014 FIBA World Cup and 2015 European Championship.  He is currently competing with the national team in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.