Notes with Neil: Shane Battier on Duke’s Loss and Learning from Adversity

Even Palmetto’s Chief Governmental Affairs Officer takes a short break from energy policy when March Madness rolls around. For this special edition of Policy and Energy Notes with Neil, Neil Chatterjee chats with his friend and Palmetto’s Chief Culture Advisor, Shane Battier, to take a look at the human side of basketball, what you can learn from adversity and disappointment, and how losing, even in dramatic fashion, can lead to stronger people and more resilient teams. Then they tackle how Shane’s experience on the court is translating to his work in clean energy with Palmetto.

Watch the full conversation or read the highlights below. This conversation was recorded on Monday, March 30, 2026.

On Battier's reaction to Duke's loss

Neil Chatterjee: What we saw last night was one of those transcendent moments in American culture. I think almost everyone in America someday will say they knew where they were at the end of the Connecticut-Duke Elite Eight game in 2026.

As someone who's lived this yourself, who won a national championship, but also suffered heartbreak in this round, in this tournament — from a human standpoint, what did we see last night?

Shane Battier: I'm still trying to figure it out. It’s one of those days where you wake up and you say to yourself, did that really happen? Did I witness that?

I joke that the day after Duke loses in the tournament is the busiest day on my phone. People I haven't talked to in a month feel the need to check in on me, talk a little trash. That's part of going to Duke: We’re loved and we’re disliked. There's no apathy when it comes to Duke University. 

Last night was a classic March Madness game. In many regards, it reminded me of my freshman year against the University of Kentucky. I thought back to 1998, looking up at the clock the second half up 17, and I'm thinking to myself, “We're going to the Final Four.” I did not have the gift of perspective or even wisdom at that point, and I made the cardinal sin in sports. I got ahead of myself. I went against the adage of it's one play at a time. I was already living in San Antonio the next week and wondering what the Final Four was going to be like. 

That's the cardinal sin for not only any athlete, but for anybody who deals with a pressure situation. You start to think ahead and sort of think, What if? When you're down like that, you've nothing to lose. And so whether you lose by 17 or 30 or two, it doesn't matter: you lose. So you play, a lot freer. In March Madness, people love to see the underdog win. They love to see a big comeback. And so the arena is like a living, breathing thing. And as the comeback starts to mount the murmur starts to get a little louder. The people who are neutral start cheering for the team making the comeback. And you feel it. All these factors came rushing back to me. 

They're still very young basketball players. I've played in the NBA Finals. I've played in NCAA championships. No one's immune pressure. Even Michael Jordan felt it. 

Staying in the moment is like the most important thing. Relying on the team that you train with all year long, and just doing the things that you've done all year long to the best of your ability. That's what championship basketball is about. That's what championship execution is about in business. 

I've been on both sides, and that was what came back to me immediately after that shot went through the hoop.

On learning from adversity

NC: I was one of those people who was blowing up your phone yesterday in the aftermath of the game, and your response to me gave me chills. It was so thoughtful and prescient. 

Because of you and our relationship, I have become friends with Carlos Boozer, and so I was really invested in the Boozer twins, Cameron and Cayden. Cayden in particular has been taking a lot of heat for the turnover at the end of the game. What you said to me, that's when I thought, “This is why it matters that this is our chief culture advisor.” 

You said that in life, “There is just winning and learning, and that he will learn from this, and that he's tough, and he'll be back.” And I love that, because you went through that. You went through heartbreak, blowing a 17 or 18 point lead in the NCAA tournament. And you came back two years later, and you won a national championship. Resilience in sport, resilience in life, is such a critical thing, and I just love that. 

SB: He's a winner. I don't care what happened in the last play. If you play the game, you understand that there are hundreds of ways to impact the game, both on the winning and losing side, right? You think about a turnover, getting the team in the bonus at the 10 minute mark, missing an open shot. There's so many small plays that no one pays attention to, but they all count the same, right? Everyone focuses on the last play, it's the most dramatic moment, but they're all of equal importance. 

I've won enough in my life and I've lost enough in life, to come to that conclusion that champions are the people who have resilience and keep coming back, back, back. They don't look at losing as a failure. They look at it as a chance to look in the mirror and have some introspection. 

You never stop. You always keep going. You keep getting back up. That's the beauty of sport, that's the beauty of life. 

Cameron and Cayden, I'm proud of them. We would not have been in the position that we have been this year without them. So to disparage them or think less of them because of a couple plays would be silly. But I know they are hurting. They’re competitors.

On joining Palmetto and the parallels between business and sports

NC: You are now in climate tech and clean tech, you are Palmetto's Chief Cultural Advisor. What is your role at the company, and what drew you to it? What’s it like to be Shane Battier pivoting from the highest level of sports success to now, hopefully, the highest level of business success?

SB: Well, I have you to thank, Neil. You're an excitable guy. I've never seen you as excited about something as you were about your involvement with Palmetto. 

So I said, “All right, what's the big deal here?” I was able to meet [Palmetto founder and CEO] Chris [Kemper] and immediately hit it off. And since that initial dinner, we've gone on a lot of walks together and just talked about the things that we're both passionate about, and that's impact, teamwork, and culture. 

When I retired over a decade ago, the simple lessons that I learned in the high school locker room, the college locker room, the back of the bus, and then the pros, they're really applicable to the business world, right? How do you deal with ball hogs? How do you deal with success? How do you deal with adversity? It's all people and it's all people issues. It's all about what you can build together to create something magic. In basketball that was winning championships and at Palmetto specifically, it's about leading the world towards a clean energy future. And so I feel very strongly about being part of something larger than myself that has amazing impact with a group of people who are passionate. I've been with the company now for a little over four months, and that's what I found the case to be. People are very proud of the association with Palmetto. They feel they're making a difference in the world of clean energy. They want to do more, and they want to be empowered to continue to grow and to make an impact. Sometimes we get so busy in our day to day that we forget why we're here: to lead the world towards a cleaner energy future. 

Sometimes you have to say that, as corny as that sounds. In any arena, there were pictures of championships and great players, and there was no doubt why you were there. You were there to win and do something special. And that's something I hope to bring to Palmetto. Every time our employees walk through the door, anytime our partners walk through the door, anytime our customers walk through the door, they know they are part of something that is special and different. It’s not often you get to do that in a business environment where you're actually saving the world, which is what we're doing here. 

NC: More than a decade and a half ago, I read a fantastic article about you by the author of money ball, Michael Lewis, called The No Stats All Star, where he talked about how every team you ever joined won exponentially more the year after you joined than they had prior. And I am fully anticipating the same thing at Palmetto. We had a great 2025 but now we've added the Glue Guy for 2026 and I believe we're gonna see that improvement from 2025 to 2026.