Boris Diaw

Boris Babacar Diaw-Riffiod (born April 16, 1982), better known as Boris Diaw, is a French basketball executive and former player who is the president of Metropolitans 92 of LNB Pro A. Diaw began his playing career in Pro A and returned to that league after 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played mostly at the power forward position. In 2006, Diaw was named the NBA's Most Improved Player as a member of the Phoenix Suns. He won an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014.

Boris Diaw
Diaw with the San Antonio Spurs in 2015
Metropolitans 92
PositionPresident
LeagueLNB Pro A
Personal information
Born (1982-04-16) April 16, 1982
Cormeilles-en-Parisis, Val-d'Oise, France
NationalityFrench
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High schoolINSEP (Paris, France)
NBA draft2003: 1st round, 21st overall pick
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks
Playing career2001–2018
PositionPower forward
Number32, 13, 3, 33
Career history
2001–2003Pau-Orthez
2003–2005Atlanta Hawks
2005–2008Phoenix Suns
2008–2012Charlotte Bobcats
2011JSA Bordeaux
2012–2016San Antonio Spurs
2016–2017Utah Jazz
2017–2018Levallois Metropolitans
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  France
World Cup
Bronze medal – third place2014 Spain
EuroBasket
Gold medal – first place2013 Slovenia
Silver medal – second place2011 Lithuania
Bronze medal – third place2005 Serbia and Montenegro
Bronze medal – third place2015 France
FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2000 Croatia U-18 Team
FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Lithuania U-20 Team

Diaw was a member and captain of the senior French national team. He won a FIBA World Cup bronze medal in 2014, a EuroBasket title in 2013, a silver medal in EuroBasket 2011, and two bronze in EuroBasket 2005 and EuroBasket 2015. He earned an All-EuroBasket Team selection in 2005.

Since July 2019, Diaw has served as president of Metropolitans 92.

Professional basketball career

Pau-Orthez (2001–2003)

From 2001 to 2003, Diaw played for Pau-Orthez of the LNB Pro A, a French professional basketball league. In 2002, he competed in the league's All-Star game and the Slam Dunk contest.

Atlanta Hawks (2003–2005)

Diaw was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 21st overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft. On July 10, 2003, he signed a multi-year deal with the Hawks.

Phoenix Suns (2005–2008)

In August 2005, he was traded with two future first-round picks to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for future teammate Joe Johnson.[1]

In Phoenix, Diaw blossomed into an all-round player, playing any position from center to point guard and garnered the nickname "3D" because of his multidimensional play (his motto being "drive, dish, defend") and the combination of his number (3) and surname. Diaw averaged 13.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.0 blocks per game on 52.6% field goal shooting and 73.1% from the free throw line in the 2005–06 season where he played both forward positions and then center after injuries to Amar'e Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas.

During the 2006 NBA playoffs, as the Suns' starting center, Diaw averaged 18.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. In Game 1 of the 2006 Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, Diaw scored a career-high 34 points, including the game-winner with 0.5 seconds remaining in regulation, to help the Suns to a 121–118 victory, although Phoenix would go on the lose the series in six games.

Charlotte Bobcats (2008–2012)
Diaw with the Bobcats in 2009

On December 10, 2008, Diaw, along with Raja Bell and Sean Singletary, was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley.[2]

On September 28, 2011, Diaw signed with JSA Bordeaux of France for the duration the 2011 NBA lockout.[3] In December 2011, he returned to the Charlotte Bobcats.

On March 21, 2012, Diaw was waived by the Bobcats.[4]

San Antonio Spurs (2012–2016)

Two days later, he signed with the San Antonio Spurs for the rest of the season.[5]

On July 12, 2012, Diaw re-signed with the Spurs[6] to a reported two-year, $9.2 million deal. Diaw helped the Spurs reach the 2013 NBA Finals where they faced the Miami Heat. San Antonio lost the series in seven games.

Diaw playing for the Spurs in 2014

On June 15, 2014, Diaw won his first NBA championship after the Spurs defeated the Miami Heat 4–1 in the 2014 NBA Finals. He was inserted into the starting lineup beginning with Game 3, and he led all players in the series in total assists (29) and was second in total rebounds (43) behind teammate Tim Duncan (50). Diaw averaged 35 minutes per game in the Finals, an increase of over 10 minutes from the regular season.[7]

On July 15, 2014, Diaw re-signed with the Spurs[8] to a reported three-year, $22 million contract.[9]

On August 1, 2015, Diaw played for Team Africa at the 2015 NBA Africa exhibition game.[10]

Utah Jazz (2016–2017)

On July 8, 2016, Diaw was traded, along with a 2022 second-round pick and cash considerations, to the Utah Jazz in exchange for the rights to Olivier Hanlan.[11] In early November 2016, Diaw missed eight games with a right leg contusion.[12] On July 13, 2017, he was waived by the Jazz.[13]

Levallois Metropolitans (2017–2018)

On September 17, 2017, Diaw signed with the Levallois Metropolitans, a French team, for the 2017–18 season.[14] With Levallois, he played in the LNB Pro A and EuroCup. He averaged 11.1 points, 6.4 rebounds in 31.2 minutes per game in 31 Pro A games.[15]

Retirement

Diaw announced his retirement via his Twitter account on September 6, 2018.[16]

NBA career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship *  Led the league

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2003–04 Atlanta 763725.3.447.231.6024.52.4.8.54.5
2004–05 Atlanta 662518.2.422.180.7402.62.3.6.34.8
2005–06 Phoenix 817035.5.526.267.7316.96.2.71.013.3
2006–07 Phoenix 735931.1.538.333.6834.34.8.4.59.7
2007–08 Phoenix 82*1928.1.477.317.7444.63.9.7.58.8
2008–09 Phoenix 22024.5.567.357.6923.82.1.5.48.3
2008–09 Charlotte 595937.6.495.419.6865.94.9.8.715.1
2009–10 Charlotte 82*82*35.4.483.320.7695.24.0.7.711.3
2010–11 Charlotte 8282*33.9.492.345.6835.04.1.9.611.3
2011–12 Charlotte 372827.5.410.267.6305.34.3.5.57.4
2011–12 San Antonio 20720.3.588.615.6254.32.4.7.34.7
2012–13 San Antonio 752022.8.539.385.7233.42.4.7.45.8
2013–14† San Antonio 792425.0.521.402.7394.12.8.6.49.1
2014–15 San Antonio 811524.5.460.320.7744.32.9.4.38.7
2015–16 San Antonio 76418.2.527.362.7373.12.3.3.36.4
2016–17 Utah 733317.6.446.247.7432.22.3.2.14.6
Career 106456427.0.493.336.7174.43.5.6.58.6

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2006 Phoenix 202039.8.526.429.7616.75.2.91.118.7
2007 Phoenix 10023.5.475.000.6673.23.0.7.26.6
2008 Phoenix 5235.6.547.000.5005.64.6.6.814.6
2010 Charlotte 4438.0.500.111.5005.04.0.3.87.5
2012 San Antonio 141424.7.514.500.7505.22.5.8.36.2
2013 San Antonio 16117.1.444.385.8572.51.8.3.24.1
2014† San Antonio 23326.3.500.400.6884.93.4.6.19.2
2015 San Antonio 7028.3.479.222.6926.13.6.7.411.6
2016 San Antonio 9017.7.457.333.7502.12.3.2.45.2
2017 Utah 11918.4.500.429.9001.92.0.6.45.7
Career 1195326.4.504.336.7364.43.2.6.49.2

National team career
Diaw playing for France in 2015.

In 2000, Diaw won the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship with the French junior national team. In July 2006, Diaw was named the captain of the senior men's French national basketball team. He won the bronze medal at the EuroBasket 2005.

Diaw led the French team at the 2006 FIBA World Championship, with 107 points and 22 assists, in 9 games. In 2013, Diaw and the French team won the gold medal at the EuroBasket tournament. The following year, he led the national team without its star Tony Parker to the bronze medal in the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

International statistics
TournamentGames playedPoints per gameRebounds per gameAssists per game
2003 EuroBasket64.74.50.7
2005 EuroBasket713.75.33.4
2006 FIBA World Championship911.96.02.4
2007 EuroBasket99.35.81.2
2009 EuroBasket87.54.23.8
2010 FIBA World Championship68.55.73.7
2011 EuroBasket118.04.72.5
2012 Olympics67.76.04.3
2013 EuroBasket1110.44.63.4
2014 FIBA World Cup99.24.64.0
2015 EuroBasket96.23.04.0
2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament48.06.03.2
2016 Summer Olympics68.34.24.7
2017 EuroBasket69.25.73.5

Player profile

At 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and 250 lb (110 kg), Diaw was a natural forward. However, his passing skills and ability to score inside earned him a reputation for being capable of playing all positions well. Diaw began the 2005–06 season as a reserve, substituted at point guard when starting point guard Steve Nash was injured, started at small forward, and was finally moved to center when all three Suns centers were injured. Diaw's breakout season (13.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game) was recognized with the Most Improved Player Award. Diaw was lauded for his unselfish but assertive play.[17],[18]

While somewhat overshadowed by the Spurs 'Big Three' of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili, Diaw played a crucial role in the team's success. His excellent passing and playmaking abilities made him a prototype of what came to be known as the point forward position, exhibited by players such as Luka Doncic and to a lesser degree by LeBron James and Nikola Jokić.[19] Diaw was also an efficient post scorer and athletic scorer, capable of going coast-to-coast before either finding a teammate or finishing at the rim. In addition, his ability to play multiple positions made him a precursor to the current era of small ball teams and positionless basketball.[20]

Executive career

In 2009, Diaw became vice-president and shareholder of the JSA Bordeaux basketball club in his native France and took over as president one year later. In 2017, he stepped down as president of the club.[21]

In 2010, he founded UKIND, an eco-responsible clothing brand.

On July 4, 2019, Diaw was announced as the new president of Metropolitans 92, succeeding Jean-Pierre Aubry.[22]

Personal life

Diaw's 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) mother, Élisabeth Riffiod, is regarded as one of the best centers in French women's basketball history. She is a member of the French Basketball Hall of Fame. Diaw's father, Issa Diaw, is a former Senegalese high jump champion. Diaw has a half-brother, Paco Diaw, who was a guard at Georgia Tech,[23] but transferred to Lee University, a small NAIA school in the Southern States Athletic Conference. His other brother, Martin Diaw, played basketball for Division II's California University of Pennsylvania.[24]

Diaw and fellow French NBA star and Spurs teammate Tony Parker are long-time friends and former roommates. Diaw was the best man at Parker's wedding to actress Eva Longoria.[25]

In 2005, Diaw established a non-profit foundation, Babac'Ards, to organize sports activities for Senegalese youth and aid "developmental education".[26]

Diaw is known to have a passion for photography, sailing and wine tasting.

See also

References
  1. "Johnson Trade to Atlanta Completed". NBA.com. August 19, 2005. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  2. "Suns trade Bell, Diaw for Bobcats' Richardson". NBA.com. December 18, 2008. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  3. Boris Diaw officially signs for JSA Bordeaux
  4. "Bobcats waive Boris Diaw". ESPN.com. March 21, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  5. Boris Diaw signed by Spurs
  6. Spurs Re-Sign Boris Diaw
  7. Abrams, Jonathan (June 16, 2014). "Mon Frère Boris". Grantland.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2014.
  8. SPURS RE-SIGN BORIS DIAW
  9. Boris Diaw Agrees To Three-Year, $22M Deal With Spurs
  10. NBA stars, legends shine as Team World rallies to beat Team Africa
  11. "Jazz Acquire Boris Diaw and Draft Pick from Spurs". NBA.com. July 8, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  12. "Marc Gasol scores 22 points, Grizzlies beat Jazz 102-96". ESPN.com. November 14, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  13. "Jazz Waive Boris Diaw". NBA.com. July 13, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  14. "Boris Diaw officially signs with Levallois Metropolitans". Sportando.com. September 17, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  15. "Boris Diaw Player Profile". Realgm.com. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  16. Wells, Adam. "Boris Diaw Retires at Age 36; Played with Spurs, Suns, Hornets, Hawks, Jazz". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  17. Duffy, Thomas. "Gregg Popovich Misses Jazz F Boris Diaw as a Wine Drinking Partner". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  18. DewNO (2013-12-12). "Diaw's cool is crazy; his crazy is cool". Pounding The Rock. Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  19. "Boris Diaw tells incredible story about arguing with Suns coach Terry Porter, then refusing to shoot | Sporting News". 12 August 2021.
  20. "13 reasons NBA fans should never stop loving Boris Diaw". 14 September 2017.
  21. "Boris Diaw annonce son retrait des JSA Bordeaux". BeBasket (in French). 15 March 2017. Retrieved 2017-03-17.
  22. "Jeep Élite : Boris Diaw officiellement président des Metropolitans 92 - Basket - Jeep Elite". L'Équipe. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  23. "Paco Diaw Bio". Archived from the original on 2014-07-25. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
  24. Hawks Strike Gold with Diaw Archived March 11, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  25. "Boris Diaw, Are You Ready to Be Tony Parker's Best Man?". aolsportsblog.com. May 8, 2007. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2007.
  26. "Babac'Ards - Empowering women & girls in Senegal through sport". iwg-gti.org. Archived from the original on July 22, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
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