Boris Babacar Diaw-Riffiod (born 16 April 1982), better known as Boris Diaw, is a French

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

executive and former player who is the president of

Metropolitans 92 Metropolitans 92 is a French professional basketball club that is based in Levallois-Perret, in the Paris metropolitan area. The club currently plays in the LNB Pro A, the French basketball league system, highest-tier level in French basketball. ...

LNB Pro A LNB may refer to: Sport * Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, a professional basketball league in the Dominican Republic * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol, an Argentine basketball league * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol (Paraguay), Liga Nacional de Básquetb ...

. Diaw began his playing career in Pro A and returned to that league after 14 seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He played mostly at the

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

position. In 2006, Diaw was named the NBA's Most Improved Player as a member of the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

. He won an

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

with the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

in 2014. Diaw was a member and captain of the senior French national team. He won a

FIBA World Cup The FIBA Basketball World Cup is an international basketball competition between the senior men's national teams of the members of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the sport's global governing body. It takes place every four ye ...

bronze medal in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, a

EuroBasket EuroBasket, also commonly referred to as the European Basketball Championship, is the main international basketball competition that is contested quadrennially, by the senior men's national teams that are governed by FIBA Europe, which is the E ...

title in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, a silver medal in

EuroBasket 2011 EuroBasket 2011 was the 37th men's European Basketball Championship, held by FIBA Europe. The competition was hosted by Lithuania. This was the second time EuroBasket had been held in Lithuania, the country having also hosted the 1939 champions ...

, and two bronze in EuroBasket 2005 and

EuroBasket 2015 EuroBasket 2015 was the 39th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It was co-hosted by Croatia, France, Germany, and Latvia, making it the first EuroBasket held in more than one country. It started on 5 Sept ...

. He earned an All-EuroBasket Team selection in 2005. Diaw has served as president of Metropolitans 92 from July 2019 to April 2020.

Professional basketball career

Pau-Orthez (2001–2003)

From 2001 to 2003, Diaw played for Pau-Orthez of the

, 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 The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

with the 21st overall pick in the

2003 NBA draft The 2003 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2003, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The NBA announced that 41 college and high school players and a record 31 international players had filed as early-entry candidates ...

. 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. 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 Amar'e Carsares Stoudemire (born November 16, 1982) is an American-Israeli professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as a player development assistant for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NB ...

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)

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. On September 28, 2011, Diaw signed with JSA Bordeaux of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

for the duration the 2011 NBA lockout. In December 2011, he returned to the Charlotte Bobcats. On March 21, 2012, Diaw was waived by the Bobcats.

San Antonio Spurs (2012–2016)

Two days later, he signed with the

for the rest of the season.Boris Diaw signed by Spurs
/ref> On July 12, 2012, Diaw re-signed with the Spurs to a reported two-year, $9.2 million deal. Diaw helped the Spurs reach the

2013 NBA Finals The 2013 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2012–13 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs, played from June 6 to 20, 2013. In this best-of-seven series, the defending champion and ...

where they faced the Miami Heat. San Antonio lost the series in seven games. Boris Diaw Spurs

On June 15, 2014, Diaw won his first NBA championship after the Spurs defeated the Miami Heat 4–1 in the

2014 NBA Finals The 2014 NBA Finals was the NBA Finals, championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2013–14 NBA season, 2013–14 season and the conclusion of 2014 NBA Playoffs, the season's playoffs, played from June 5 to 15, 2014. It ...

. 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 Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 19-year career with the San Antonio Sp ...

(50). Diaw averaged 35 minutes per game in the Finals, an increase of over 10 minutes from the regular season. On July 15, 2014, Diaw re-signed with the Spurs to a reported three-year, $22 million contract. On August 1, 2015, Diaw played for Team Africa at the 2015 NBA Africa exhibition game.

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 The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

in exchange for the rights to Olivier Hanlan. In early November 2016, Diaw missed eight games with a right leg contusion. On July 13, 2017, he was waived by the Jazz.

Levallois Metropolitans (2017–2018)

On September 17, 2017, Diaw signed with the

Levallois Metropolitans Metropolitans 92 is a French professional basketball club that is based in Levallois-Perret, in the Paris metropolitan area. The club currently plays in the LNB Pro A, the highest-tier level in French basketball. The club was established in 2007 ...

, a French team, for the 2017–18 season. With Levallois, he played in the

and EuroCup. He averaged 11.1 points, 6.4 rebounds in 31.2 minutes per game in 31 Pro A games.

Retirement

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

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, 76 , , 37 , , 25.3 , , .447 , , .231 , , .602 , , 4.5 , , 2.4 , , .8 , , .5 , , 4.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 66 , , 25 , , 18.2 , , .422 , , .180 , , .740 , , 2.6 , , 2.3 , , .6 , , .3 , , 4.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Phoenix , 81 , , 70 , , 35.5 , , .526 , , .267 , , .731 , , 6.9 , , 6.2 , , .7 , , 1.0 , , 13.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Phoenix , 73 , , 59 , , 31.1 , , .538 , , .333 , , .683 , , 4.3 , , 4.8 , , .4 , , .5 , , 9.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Phoenix , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 19 , , 28.1 , , .477 , , .317 , , .744 , , 4.6 , , 3.9 , , .7 , , .5 , , 8.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Phoenix , 22 , , 0 , , 24.5 , , .567 , , .357 , , .692 , , 3.8 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .4 , , 8.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , 59 , , 59 , , 37.6 , , .495 , , .419 , , .686 , , 5.9 , , 4.9 , , .8 , , .7 , , 15.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 35.4 , , .483 , , .320 , , .769 , , 5.2 , , 4.0 , , .7 , , .7 , , 11.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , 82 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 33.9 , , .492 , , .345 , , .683 , , 5.0 , , 4.1 , , .9 , , .6 , , 11.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , 37 , , 28 , , 27.5 , , .410 , , .267 , , .630 , , 5.3 , , 4.3 , , .5 , , .5 , , 7.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, 20 , , 7 , , 20.3 , , .588 , , .615 , , .625 , , 4.3 , , 2.4 , , .7 , , .3 , , 4.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 75 , , 20 , , 22.8 , , .539 , , .385 , , .723 , , 3.4 , , 2.4 , , .7 , , .4 , , 5.8 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , align="left" ,

, 79 , , 24 , , 25.0 , , .521 , , .402 , , .739 , , 4.1 , , 2.8 , , .6 , , .4 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;" , , style="text-align:left;" ,

, 81 , , 15 , , 24.5 , , .460 , , .320 , , .774 , , 4.3 , , 2.9 , , .4 , , .3 , , 8.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 76 , , 4 , , 18.2 , , .527 , , .362 , , .737 , , 3.1 , , 2.3 , , .3 , , .3 , , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, 73 , , 33 , , 17.6 , , .446 , , .247 , , .743 , , 2.2 , , 2.3 , , .2 , , .1 , , 4.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 1064 , , 564 , , 27.0 , , .493 , , .336 , , .717 , , 4.4 , , 3.5 , , .6 , , .5 , , 8.6

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, align="left" , Phoenix , 20 , , 20 , , 39.8 , , .526 , , .429 , , .761 , , 6.7 , , 5.2 , , .9 , , 1.1 , , 18.7 , - , align="left" ,

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, align="left" , Phoenix , 10 , , 0 , , 23.5 , , .475 , , .000 , , .667 , , 3.2 , , 3.0 , , .7 , , .2 , , 6.6 , - , align="left" ,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, align="left" , Phoenix , 5 , , 2 , , 35.6 , , .547 , , .000 , , .500 , , 5.6 , , 4.6 , , .6 , , .8 , , 14.6 , - , align="left" ,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, align="left" , Charlotte , 4 , , 4 , , 38.0 , , .500 , , .111 , , .500 , , 5.0 , , 4.0 , , .3 , , .8 , , 7.5 , - , align="left" ,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, align="left" ,

, 14 , , 14 , , 24.7 , , .514 , , .500 , , .750 , , 5.2 , , 2.5 , , .8 , , .3 , , 6.2 , - , align="left" ,

, align="left" ,

, 16 , , 1 , , 17.1 , , .444 , , .385 , , .857 , , 2.5 , , 1.8 , , .3 , , .2 , , 4.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

† , align="left" ,

, 23 , , 3 , , 26.3 , , .500 , , .400 , , .688 , , 4.9 , , 3.4 , , .6 , , .1 , , 9.2 , - , align="left" ,

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, align="left" ,

, 7 , , 0 , , 28.3 , , .479 , , .222 , , .692 , , 6.1 , , 3.6 , , .7 , , .4 , , 11.6 , - , align="left" ,

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, align="left" ,

, 9 , , 0 , , 17.7 , , .457 , , .333 , , .750 , , 2.1 , , 2.3 , , .2 , , .4 , , 5.2 , - , align="left" ,

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, align="left" ,

, 11 , , 9 , , 18.4 , , .500 , , .429 , , .900 , , 1.9 , , 2.0 , , .6 , , .4 , , 5.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 119 , , 53 , , 26.4 , , .504 , , .336 , , .736 , , 4.4 , , 3.2 , , .6 , , .4 , , 9.2

National team career

In 2000, Diaw won the

FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship The FIBA U18 EuroBasket is the new name for the FIBA U18 European Championship, originally known as the FIBA European Championship for Juniors. It is a men's youth basketball competition that was inaugurated with the 1964 edition. It was held bi ...

with the French junior national team. In July 2006, Diaw was named the

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

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 The 2006 FIBA World Championship was the 15th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Japan and held from 19 August to 3 September 2006. It was co-organised b ...

, 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

Player profile

At and , 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 Stephen John Nash (born 7 February 1974) is a Canadian professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 18 seasons in the NBA, ...

was injured, started at

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...

, 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.^, 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 Dončić and to a lesser degree by

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

and

Nikola Jokić Nikola Jokić ( ; sr-Cyrl, Никола Јокић ; born February 19, 1995) is a Serbian professional basketball player who is a Center (basketball), center for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the ...

. 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.

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. In 2010, he founded UKIND, an eco-responsible clothing brand. On July 4, 2019, Diaw was announced as the new president of

, succeeding Jean-Pierre Aubry. He resigned in April 2020.

Personal life

Diaw's 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

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

ese

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

champion. Diaw has a half-brother, Paco Diaw, who was a guard at

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

, but transferred to

Lee University Lee University is a Private university, private Church of God (Cleveland), Christian university in Cleveland, Tennessee. It was founded in 1918 as the Church of God Bible Training School with twelve students and one teacher, Nora I. Chambers. Th ...

, 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 Pennsylvania Western University, California (abbreviated as PennWest California) is a campus of Pennsylvania Western University in California, Pennsylvania, United States. The campus had an enrollment of 2,717 as of fall 2024. Founded in 1852 ...

.Hawks Strike Gold with Diaw
Diaw and fellow French NBA star and Spurs teammate

Tony Parker William Anthony Parker Jr. (born 17 May 1982) is a French-American former professional basketball player and majority owner of ASVEL Basket, LDLC ASVEL of the LNB Élite and the EuroLeague. The son of a basketball pro, Parker started his career ...

are long-time friends and former roommates. Diaw was the best man at Parker's wedding to actress

Eva Longoria Eva Jacqueline Longoria Bastón ( Longoria; born March 15, 1975) is an American actress, producer, director, and businesswoman. After several guest roles on television, she became recognized for her portrayal of Isabella Braña on the CBS day ...

. In 2005, Diaw established a non-profit foundation, Babac'Ards, to organize sports activities for Senegalese youth and aid "developmental education". Diaw is known to have a passion for photography, sailing, and wine tasting.

References

External links

*
Boris Diaw
at interbasket.net * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Diaw, Boris 1982 births Living people 2006 FIBA World Championship players 2010 FIBA World Championship players 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup players 21st-century French sportsmen Atlanta Hawks draft picks Atlanta Hawks players Basketball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Black French sportspeople Centers (basketball) Centre Fédéral de Basket-ball players Charlotte Bobcats players Élan Béarnais players FIBA EuroBasket–winning players French expatriate basketball people in the United States French men's basketball players French sportspeople of Senegalese descent JSA Bordeaux Basket players Metropolitans 92 players NBA players from France Olympic basketball players for France People from Cormeilles-en-Parisis Phoenix Suns players Power forwards San Antonio Spurs players Sportspeople from Val-d'Oise Sportspeople of Senegalese descent Utah Jazz players

Professional basketball career

Pau-Orthez (2001–2003)

Atlanta Hawks (2003–2005)

Phoenix Suns (2005–2008)

Charlotte Bobcats (2008–2012)

San Antonio Spurs (2012–2016)

Utah Jazz (2016–2017)

Levallois Metropolitans (2017–2018)

Retirement

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

National team career

International statistics

Player profile

Executive career

Personal life

See also

References

External links