Nicolas Batum has confirmed his presence in the French squad for the FIBA World Championship.

The 21-year-old missed the first half of the NBA season following shoulder surgery but returned to the line-up and helped fire the Blazers into the NBA play-offs.

Though his shoulder started to bother him again late in the campaign, Batum refused to come out of the line-up.

Now he is desperate to wear the French shirt.

"My decision is definite," he said at Bercy, where he watched the French Cup Finals over the weekend.

"I will be present in the French squad for the World Championship. To join the national team again was a big desire after we (I) made our (my) debut at the EuroBasket.

"I had a worry about my shoulder but the Portland executives told me that I would be better off being with France than spending the summer working individually with the franchise."

Batum started for the Blazers in his second NBA season and averaged 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds,

His announcement is a breath of fresh air for French basketball fans.

France discovered last week that center Ronny Turiaf of the Golden State Warriors and guard Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs would not play this summer in Turkey.

The French are expected to have one of this year's rookie sensations, Rodrigue Beaubois of the Dallas Mavericks.

The French Basketball Federation is also hopeful that center Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls will play.

Nando De Colo of Eurocup winners Power Electronics Valencia and Antoine Diot of Le Man will, in addition to Beaubois, give France one of the best backcourts in Group D where they will compete against Spain, Lithuania, New Zealand, Canada and Lebanon.

The Federation, meanwhile, showed its support for Parker and Turiaf in a statement on the country's website, thanking them for their commitment to the national side.

Both remain an important part of the French squad moving forward.