BIO: James Batemon III was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (USA), where he attended Riverside University High School.

NBL EXPERIENCE

James Batemon III made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 27 years of age. He scored three points in his first game.

Brisbane entered Justin Schueller’s second season as head coach after finishing seventh with a 13–15 record and missing the NBL24 play-in tournament on points percentage. The Bullets moved on from long-time captain Nathan Sobey (to South East Melbourne), Chris Smith (to Japan), Shannon Scott (to Taiwan) and DJ Mitchell (to England), while Aron Baynes retired. Mitch Norton was elevated to captain, with Isaac White, Tyrell Harrison, Josh Bannan, Sam McDaniel, Rocco Zikarsky and Casey Prather returning. Schueller completed the rebuilt roster by adding James Batemon III (via Kiryat Ata), Keandre Cook (via Crailsheim), Deng Adel (via Boulazac), Tohi Smith-Milner (via Adelaide) and Jarred Bairstow (via Tasmania), while Kye Savage, Tristan Devers and Josh Kunen joined as development players.

“Really this decision wasn’t about Nathan, but how we can continue to move forward as a club and build a true contender,” Schueller said. “We needed to lean more into our culture and bring in winners who can help us grow. We can’t shy away from Nathan’s production, but we also know there’s other areas we must improve if we want to win a championship.”

On 17 July 2024, Brisbane signed Batemon to an initial two-year contract as the replacement import point guard after mutually releasing Shannon Scott, who had one year remaining on his Bullets agreement. The move completed the Bullets’ NBL25 roster. Batemon had averaged 17.3 points and 3.8 assists for Kiryat Ata in Israel, where he was selected to the All-Israeli League Second Team. He had previously played in Latvia, France, Greece and Germany, winning the French Pro B MVP award with Tours Métropole during 2021/22.

“James is a high-level impact scorer, floor leader and competitor,” Schueller said. “He’s coming off an outstanding recent year in Israel and we only see him continuing to grow in our league.”

Brisbane opened the season against New Zealand at HoopsFest in Perth on September 21, where Batemon (3 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) started at point guard as the Bullets recovered from a 26-point deficit before falling 91–87. Cook (25 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) and Prather (11 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal) led Brisbane’s comeback, while Parker Jackson-Cartwright (20 points, 3 rebounds, 11 assists, and 1 steal) controlled the Breakers’ offence.

Batemon (15.5 points and 3 rebounds across 16 games) endured a slow beginning while adjusting to the starting point guard role, scoring 17 points across his first three appearances before accepting a move to the bench. The change allowed him to concentrate on providing scoring and shooting with the second unit, and he finished the season shooting 50 per cent from the field.

The move paid off against South East Melbourne on October 12, where Batemon (20 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, and 1 steal) made six three-pointers off the bench as Brisbane secured its first win of the season, defeating the Phoenix 87–85 at John Cain Arena. Harrison (21 points, 17 rebounds, and 2 steals) controlled the paint and Cook (15 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal) provided support, while Matt Hurt (24 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals) led South East Melbourne.

Batemon’s best game came against Perth at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on November 17, where he started in place of Prather, who was sidelined by a hip injury. Batemon (51 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) committed no turnovers while making 19-of-28 from the field and 9-of-15 from outside, setting the modern 40-minute NBL scoring record at the time and becoming the first Brisbane player to score 50 points or make nine three-pointers in a 40-minute game. Cook (17 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals) and Zikarsky (13 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 block) provided support, while Keanu Pinder (27 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, and 1 block) led Perth as Brisbane won 105–84 and improved to 4–6 heading into the FIBA break. Batemon’s fiancée Nickayla and three-year-old son Jay were in the crowd for the performance. “You can’t get too high or too low, but honestly I can’t tell you where I’m at right now with how excited I am,” Batemon said. “When I looked up at the scoreboard, the most nervous I’ve ever been was shooting that free throw at 39. Once I got to 50, I knew it was good.”

Batemon (25 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) played another major role against Melbourne on December 8, making 4-of-5 three-pointers as Brisbane defeated United 122–114 at John Cain Arena. Prather (27 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal) and Cook (27 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal) helped the Bullets snap a 12-game losing streak against Melbourne and improve to 6–7, while Ian Clark (24 points, 1 rebound, and 3 assists) led United.

Batemon’s season ended against Cairns on December 20 when he suffered a high-grade hamstring tear early in the fourth quarter. Batemon (9 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals) helped Brisbane build its advantage before leaving the court, with Prather (35 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 steals) and Cook (30 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) carrying the Bullets to a 107–104 win, while Rob Edwards (27 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists) led Cairns. Brisbane confirmed six days later that Batemon would miss the remainder of the season. “James has been an integral part of our success this season, bringing leadership, energy, and exceptional playmaking ability to the court,” CEO Malcolm Watts said.

Emmett Naar (via Mackay) had joined Brisbane in October as a nominated replacement player, before Josh Adams (10.7 points across 9 games, via Maroussi) was signed as Batemon’s import replacement in January and Callum Dalton (via Melbourne) later arrived as a concussion replacement. The additions were unable to restore continuity as injuries continued to reduce Schueller’s available rotation.

Prather (21.3 points and 6.3 rebounds across 27 games) finished third in league scoring, won Brisbane’s Leroy Loggins MVP Award and was selected to the All-NBL Second Team. Cook (16.7 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.7 steals across 28 games) was the team’s second-leading scorer and led the NBL in steals, while Harrison (14.3 points and 9.7 rebounds across 20 games) led the league in rebounding and won the NBL Most Improved Player award. Bannan (13.2 points and 8.6 rebounds across 19 games) received Brisbane’s Youth Player of the Year award.

Norton (7.4 points across 29 games) was the only Bullet to appear in every game and received the club’s Defensive Player and Players’ Player awards, while White (6.6 points across 28 games) and Smith-Milner (5.1 points across 27 games) provided further depth. Despite playing only 16 games, Batemon remained Brisbane’s third-leading scorer.

Batemon remained sidelined as Brisbane closed the season against Cairns at the Cairns Convention Centre on February 6, where Cook (28 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals) and Prather (19 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals) led the Bullets, but Taran Armstrong (28 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 1 steal) recorded a triple-double in a 100–88 Taipans win that left Brisbane eighth with a 12–17 record.

James Batemon III played one season in the NBL. He averaged 15.5 points, 3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 16 NBL games.