J. P. Batista

Gonzaga Bulldogs
Position	Assistant coach
League	NBB
Personal information
Born	(1981-10-29) October 29, 1981 (age 42) Olinda, Pernambuco
Nationality	Brazilian
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	270 lb (122 kg)
Career information
College	Western Nebraska CC (2002–2003) Barton County CC (2003–2004) Gonzaga (2004–2006)
NBA draft	2006: undrafted
Playing career	2006–2022
Position	Power forward
Number	13
Coaching career	2022–present
Career history
As player:
2006–2008	Lietuvos rytas
2008	Barons Rīga
2008–2014	Le Mans Sarthe
2014–2015	Limoges CSP
2015–2018	Flamengo
2018–2019	Mogi das Cruzes
2019–2020	Le Mans Sarthe
2020–2021	Minas
2021–2022	Flamengo
As coach:
2022–present	Gonzaga (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
As player: FIBA Intercontinental Cup champion (2022) FIBA EuroChallenge champion (2008) French League champion (2015) French Leaders A Cup winner (2014) French Leaders A Cup MVP (2014) Latvian League champion (2008) Baltic League champion (2007) NBB champion (2016) NBB MVP (2019) First-team All-WCC (2006) WCC Newcomer of the Year (2005)
Medals Men's basketball Representing  Brazil FIBA AmeriCup 2009 San Juan Pan American Games 2007 Rio de Janeiro 2015 Toronto FIBA South American Championship 2010 Neiva 2016 Caracas

João Paulo Lopes "J. P." Batista (born October 29, 1981) is a Brazilian former professional basketball player and current coach. Standing at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), he played the power forward position. He played college basketball at Gonzaga University and also started his coaching career with the Bulldogs as an assistant coach.

Early life

Batista was born and raised in Olinda, Pernambuco, attended Colegio Atual school in Olinda and was named State Player of the Year as a senior in 2001.

College career

Batista arrived at Gonzaga in 2004, after spending the first year of his college career at Western Nebraska Community College and the second at Barton County Community College in Kansas, where he mentored teammate and fellow international student Antanas Kavaliauskas. He finished his first season with Gonzaga averaging 12 points and 6 rebounds per game, and was named the top newcomer in the West Coast Conference.

Playing alongside the All-American Adam Morrison, Batista finished the 2005-06 NCAA basketball season averaging over 19 points and 9 rebounds per game, while shooting a remarkable 59 percent from the field and 83 percent from the free-throw line.^[1]

Professional career

Despite his impressive collegiate statistics, Batista was generally ignored by the scouts leading up to the 2006 NBA draft, with his lack of athleticism and his age (he was nearly 25 at the time of the draft, unusually old for a college prospect) hindering his chances of being drafted. Batista played for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves entry in the Las Vegas Summer League,^[2] but he was not signed by the team.

He accepted an offer to play for Lietuvos rytas in Vilnius, Lithuania in the LKL and ULEB Cup. With Lietuvos rytas he played in the ULEB Cup and Lithuanian basketball Cup finals, and won the BBL championship. Their 2006-07 ULEB Cup run ended in a loss in the final to Real Madrid, but since Real had already qualified for the 2007-08 Euroleague through their league position, Lietuvos rytas received the Euroleague berth that normally goes to the ULEB Cup winners.

On June 16, 2014, he signed a two-year deal with French club Limoges CSP.^[3] With them he won the 2014–15 LNB Pro A championship. On June 25, 2015, he parted ways with Limoges.^[4]

On July 16, 2015, he returned to Brazil and signed with Flamengo.^[5]

On June 25, 2019, he has signed a contract with Le Mans Sarthe of the LNB Pro A.^[6]

Coaching career

On August 14, 2022, Batista joined the Gonzaga Bulldogs as an assistant coach, thus returning to his alma mater after 16 years.^[7]

EuroLeague career statistics

National team career

Batista represents the senior men's Brazilian national basketball team and he was a part of the 2010 FIBA World Championship squad.