Miami Heat Champion "Embarrassed" by Erik Spoelstra At End of Career

Feb 1, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) is defended by Miami Heat center Chris Bosh (1) and small forward Shane Battier (31) during the first period of a game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Every professional athlete who is a veteran dreads the day they're told they aren't good enough anymore or their body tells them they cannot perform anymore. This happened at the end of former Miami Heat player Shane Battier at the end of his career.

When asked on the "Pablo Torre Finds Out" podcast what the most humiliating time of his career was, Battier answered, "my last year... when I was told, without being told, that our best chance of winning doesn't include you, Shane."

Battier thrived in clutch time throughout his 13-year career. He etched his name in Heat and NBA history when he made six threes in Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs en route to a second straight championship. When coach Erik Spoelstra began sitting Battier in the fourth quarter of important games the following season, it weighed on him mentally. “Nothing was worst to me than sitting in crunch time," Battier said. "That was my identity. It hurt me to my core, and that’s when I knew I was done, I was embarrassed.”

Battier also admitted that this bitterness spilled into his decision to retire and post-playing career. He retired following the 2013-2014 season and began his television career at ESPN. He said moving to television was a bad idea considering his state of mind at the time.

“So when I retired I was very cynical," Battier said. "I was sad, but I was very cynical…I was probably battling some depression, I felt isolated, I pushed my wife away, my kids away, I was just a jerk. It was a big mistake to go work for ESPN. I was really bad on TV…I had no passion for it. Zero.”

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