Dime Q&A: Shane Battier Talks Golf, Fashion And NBA Lockout

With the NBA lockout looming, Shane Battier was in New York City for the NBA Players Association meetings last Thursday and invited Dime to check out men’s apparel retailer Bonobos, where he was outfitted for the upcoming American Century Championship golf tournament.

Admittedly not the most talented golfer, Battier has created the “Take Charge, Save Par” fund to motivate himself on the course. Battier, who is a free agent, will donate $1,000 of his own dollars for every hole he scores a par or better upon in the golf tournament, which takes place in Lake Tahoe, Nev., from July 15-17. Bonobos will also donate $100 for each par-or-better shot that Battier makes. So while checking out his golf fashion, we caught up with Shane about the NBA labor talks, his golf getup and of course, his game.

Dime: You’re in town for the labor talks?
Shane Battier: We had our annual NBAPA meetings today in New York, discussing all things, everything labor related.

Dime: Did you learn anything? What do you know about the situation?
SB: It was informative. We learned sort of where the owners are coming from, and the proposals that we’ve countered back to them. There’s a lot of information out there, a lot of misinformation that’s been reported in the press – typical for labor negotiations. I think the issues are pretty clear-cut.

Dime: Is there any sight of how long this can last?
SB: The first deadline is obviously June 30th. If we can’t get it then, we’ll have a lockout and there will be a series of deadlines that will tack pressure on the negotiations. We’ll try to find a common ground.

Dime: For you personally, what have you been doing after the season?
SB: I’m been relaxing. It’s a long haul. It’s good to relax, play a little golf and spend time with the family.

Dime: I heard your golf game isn’t that …
SB: It’s emerging, it’s emerging. That’s why I’m excited to go to Lake Tahoe this year. It’s my third year playing in the American Century Championship. The first year, I was a little starstruck. I know what to expect now, which led me to have confidence to start the “Take Charge, Save Par” program to raise money for my foundation, the Battier Take Charge Foundation – get it?
Dime: (laughs) Yeah.
SB: We have some great partners on board. I’m here with Bonobos. Bonobos has agreed to donate $100 for every par that I get in the tournament. I’ve not made a lot of pars so far, so this is motivation to make a lot of pars and raise some money for some scholarships for some great kids.

This is the third year I’ve worn Bonobos. They’ve been the official supplier for me for the American Century Championships. Even though my golf game isn’t good, at least I look good. This is the second athletic promotion with Bonobos too. We did a promotion to also raise money for Battier Take Charge Foundation. They made at tear-away chino called a championship chino. They’re actually tear-away khakis; they’re pretty cool.

Dime: Lastly, can you talk about your season last year, the trade and ending up in Memphis?
SB: It was an interesting season. It was a great season, my tenth year is in the books. My life got turned upside down with the trade halfway through, obviously. Luckily, I went to a playoff team and had an incredible run in Memphis. It was really a fun run because it was pretty unexpected.

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