Wikipedia

Moussa Diabaté

Moussa Diabaté (/ˈmuːsə ˌdiːəˈbɑːteɪ/ MOO-sə DEE-ə-BAH-tay,[1] French pronunciation: [musa di.abate]; born 21 January 2002) is a French professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines. Diabaté was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top centers in the 2021 class.

Moussa Diabaté
Diabaté with Michigan in 2022
No. 14 – Charlotte Hornets
PositionCenter / Power Forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2002-01-21) 21 January 2002 (age 22)
Paris, France
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeMichigan (2021–2022)
NBA draft2022: 2nd round, 43rd overall pick
Selected by the Los Angeles Clippers
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022–2024Los Angeles Clippers
2022–2024→Ontario Clippers
2024–presentCharlotte Hornets
2024–present→Greensboro Swarm
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Early life and youth career

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Born in Paris to Malian and Guinean parents, Diabaté started playing basketball at age 12 with Sporting Club Maccabi de Paris.[2][3] After a few months, he moved to USD Charonne, where his interest in the sport formed, and he later competed for Saint Charles de Charenton Saint Maurice. Diabaté was not allowed into the sports institute CREPS for academic reasons. At age 14, he moved to the United States to advance his basketball career. In eighth grade, he joined the middle school program of Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida. At first, he did not speak English and struggled to adjust to the American style of play.[2]

High school career

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As a freshman in high school, Diabaté played for Florida Preparatory Academy in Melbourne, Florida.[2] For his sophomore season, he transferred to DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Florida.[4] Diabaté grabbed 30 rebounds in a game against Marshall County High School.[5] As a sophomore, he averaged 17.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.[6] After the season, Diabaté competed for Nightrydas Elite at the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League.[7]

For his junior season, he moved to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.[8] In December 2019, Diabaté helped his team reach the City of Palms Classic final.[3] He participated in the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp during NBA All-Star Weekend in February 2020.[9] As a junior, Diabaté averaged 14.5 points and seven rebounds per game.[10] In his senior season, he averaged 14.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, and led his team to a 21–3 record.[11] He was selected to the McDonald's All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic rosters.[12]

Recruiting

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Diabaté was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top power forwards in the 2021 class. On 9 November 2020, he committed to playing college basketball for Michigan over offers from Arizona, Kentucky and Memphis, among others.[13]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Moussa Diabaté
PF 		Paris, France IMG Academy (FL) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Nov 9, 2020 
Star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 94
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 25  247Sports: 15  ESPN: 13
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Michigan 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  • "2021 Michigan Wolverines Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 3 October 2021.

College career

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On 20 February 2022, Diabaté was involved in the postgame melee following a 77–63 loss to Wisconsin and appeared to throw punches. He was suspended one game by the Big Ten Conference for his role in the brawl.[14] Diabaté was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.[15] He averaged 9.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in his freshman season. On 25 April 2022, he declared for the 2022 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.[16] However, on 1 June 2022, Diabaté announced he would remain in the draft and forego his remaining eligibility.[17]

Professional career

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Los Angeles Clippers (2022–2024)

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Diabaté was selected with the 43rd overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2022 NBA draft.[18] Diabaté joined the Clippers' 2022 NBA Summer League roster.[19] In his Summer League debut, Diabaté scored ten points and seven rebounds in a 94–76 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.[20] On July 22, 2022, Diabaté signed a two-way contract with the Clippers.[21]

On October 22, 2022, Diabaté dressed for the second game of the season for the 2022–23 Los Angeles Clippers but did not play.[22][23] The second time he dressed, he played in the team's 5th game on October 27, for 1:47 accumulating an assist, steal, 2 rebounds, a field goal and a free throw against the Sacramento Kings.[24][23] On December 14, he was named G League Player of the Week for a pair of 20-point/20-rebound efforts.[25] On December 17, in his 8th NBA game, with Paul George, Ivica Zubac, Reggie Jackson and Norman Powell unable to play, he made his first start at home against the Washington Wizards.[26][23] Following the season, he was named to the G League's All-Rookie team.[27] He was also named to the postseason All-NBA G League Team third team.[28]

On July 14, 2023, Diabaté signed another two-way contract with the Clippers.[29]

Charlotte Hornets (2024–present)

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On July 31, 2024, Diabaté signed a two-way contract with the Charlotte Hornets.[30]

National team career

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Diabaté led France to fourth place at the 2018 FIBA U16 European Championship in Novi Sad, Serbia. He averaged 11.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, recording 16 points and 17 rebounds against Serbia in the quarterfinals. At the 2019 FIBA U18 European Championship in Volos, Greece, he averaged 13.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game for France, who came in fifth place. In a group stage win over Greece, Diabaté recorded 14 points and 20 rebounds.[31]

Career statistics

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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

NBA

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 L.A. Clippers 22 1 8.9 .511 .500 .625 2.3 .2 .3 .4 2.7
2023–24 L.A. Clippers 11 0 5.8 .526 — .643 2.2 .4 .5 .1 2.6
Career 33 1 7.9 .515 .500 .633 2.2 .2 .4 .3 2.7

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 Michigan 32 26 24.9 .542 .214 .619 6.0 .8 .3 .9 9.0

References

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  1. ^ "2023-24 start of season NBA pronunciation guide". NBA.com (Press release). October 24, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Pantel-Jouve, Gabriel (17 January 2019). "Moussa Diabaté : L'exil du prodige" (in French). BeBasket. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b Zagoria, Adam (23 December 2019). "IMG Academy star Moussa Diabate impresses at City of Palms, weighing reclassification to 2020". Zagsblog. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  4. ^ Smart, Zach (4 September 2018). "DME Lands Upside-Heavy Class of 2021 Forward Diabate". Prep Hoops. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  5. ^ Vaught, Larry. "Kentucky events "best ones" DME Academy has played in and gives top 10 sophomore Moussa Diabate more exposure". Vaughts Views. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  6. ^ Divens, Jordan (18 April 2019). "2018-19 MaxPreps Boys Basketball Sophomore All-American Team". MaxPreps. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  7. ^ Harkins, Lukas (20 May 2019). "NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Early analysis of top 2021 prospects". Busting Brackets. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  8. ^ Grobeck, Joe (30 April 2020). "5-Star Frenchman Impressing College Scouts With Defensive Prowess". FanBuzz. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Trois français en vedette du Basketball Without Borders Camp" (in French). Basket Session. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  10. ^ Hawkins, James (13 November 2020). "'Welcome to the family': Michigan basketball signs top-ranked recruiting class". The Detroit News. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  11. ^ Quinn, Brendan (2 November 2021). "At Michigan, Moussa Diabate is home, for now". The Athletic. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  12. ^ Brown, Brandon (24 February 2021). "Three Michigan Signees Named McDonald's All-Americans". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  13. ^ Sang, Orion (9 November 2020). "Michigan basketball adds five-star center Moussa Diabate to No. 1 recruiting class". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  14. ^ Borzello, Jeff; Rittenberg, Adam (21 February 2022). "Michigan men's basketball coach Juwan Howard suspended for rest of Wolverines' regular season after postgame altercation at Wisconsin". ESPN. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  15. ^ "2021-22 Big Ten Men's Basketball Postseason Honors Announced" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. March 8, 2022. Archived from the original on March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  16. ^ Zuke, Ryan (April 25, 2022). "Moussa Diabate declares for NBA draft, but door is open for Michigan return". MLive.com. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  17. ^ Kahn, Andrew (June 1, 2022). "Michigan's Moussa Diabaté to remain in NBA draft". MLive.com. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  18. ^ Cohen, Michael (June 23, 2022). "NBA draft: Michigan's Moussa Diabate a surprise pick by LA Clippers in second round". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  19. ^ "LA Clippers 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster". NBA.com. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  20. ^ "LA Clippers vs Memphis Grizzlies Jul 9, 2022 Box Scores". NBA.com. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  21. ^ Adams, Luke (July 22, 2022). "Clippers Sign Moussa Diabate To Two-Way Contract". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  22. ^ "LA Clippers 2-0, 2-0 AWAY 111 Sacramento Kings 0-2, 0-2 HOME 109". ESPN.com. October 22, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  23. ^ a b c "Moussa Diabaté 2022-23 Game Log". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  24. ^ "LA Clippers 2-3, 2-2 AWAY 110 Oklahoma City Thunder 2-3, 2-1 HOME 118". ESPN.com. October 27, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  25. ^ Kahn, Andrew (December 14, 2022). "Ex-Michigan basketball player named G League Player of the Week". MLive.com. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  26. ^ "Clippers beat Wizards 102-93; Washington drops 9th in a row". ESPN.com. December 17, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  27. ^ Kahn, Andrew (April 14, 2023). "Ex-Michigan basketball player named to G League All-Rookie team". MLive.com. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  28. ^ "Windy City Bulls' Carlik Jones Headlines 2022-23 All-NBA G League Teams". NBA.com. April 13, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  29. ^ Maher, Rory (July 13, 2023). "Moussa Diabate Signs Two-Way Deal With Clippers". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  30. ^ "Hornets Sign Moussa Diabate To Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. July 31, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  31. ^ Guérineau, Julien (27 March 2020). "Moussa d'Amérique" (in French). French Federation of Basketball. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
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