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Boris Diaw

File:Act boris diaw.jpg
Phoenix Suns
Position	Guard-Forward-Center
Personal information
Born	April 16, 1982 Cormeilles
Nationality	France
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
NBA draft	2003: 21 overall
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks
Playing career	2003–present
Career highlights and awards
2006 NBA Most Improved Player
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Boris Babacar Diaw-Riffiod (born April 16, 1982 in Cormeilles, France) is a professional basketball player for the NBA's Phoenix Suns. Diaw is 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), 215 lb, and can play any position from point guard to center. His career averages are 7.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.

At the end of the 2005-06 NBA season, Diaw was awarded the Most Improved Player trophy by garnering 80 first-place votes in balloting by 124 sports writers and sportscasters. He received 489 overall points.

Career

Diaw was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, twenty-first overall in the 2003 NBA Draft where he played for two seasons before being traded in the offseason of 2005 with two future first round picks to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for 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 last name. Diaw averaged 13.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.05 blocks per game on .526 field goal percentage and 73.1% from the free throw line in the 2005-06 season for the Phoenix Suns, playing mostly power forward and center.

During the 2006 NBA playoffs, Diaw was placed as the Suns' starting center in absence of the injured big men Amare Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas. He averaged 18.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.10 blocks per game on .526 field goal percentage and 76% at the free throw line in 3 rounds of the playoffs.

In July of 2006 Diaw was named captain of the French national team after San Antonio Spurs' guard Tony Parker requested not to be considered for the spot. Diaw led the French team in the 2006 FIBA World Championship with 107 points and 22 assists in 9 games.

Player profile

At 6'8" and 215 lbs, Diaw is a natural small forward. However, his passing skills and capability to score inside have earned him a reputation of being capable of playing all positions on the floor well. This is best seen in the 2005-06 season, where Diaw started as a bench player, then convincingly subbed as a point guard when starting playmaker Steve Nash (that season's MVP) was injured, then started as a small forward and was finally moved to center when all three Suns pivots got injured, posting impressive stats of 18.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists in the playoffs despite playing out of position. His breakout season (13.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game) was crowned with the Most Improved Player Award. He is lauded for his unselfish, but assertive play, and his versatility also makes him a triple-double threat: as of October 2006, he has scored four of them.

Family

Athletics run in his family as his mother Elizabeth Riffiod is regarded as one of the best centers in French women's basketball history, while his father Issa Diaw was a Senegalese high jump champion. He also has a half brother, Paco Diaw, who is a guard at Georgia Tech.

• Boris Diaw is the brother of Martin Diaw, who has also played basketball for California University of Pennsylvania.

Notes

• Diaw recorded his first career triple-double on January 31, 2006 when his Suns defeated the Philadelphia 76ers at Philadelphia, 123-99. Diaw had 14 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds, as well as a block and zero turnovers in 39 minutes. He is the first French NBA player ever to record a triple-double.

• Diaw recorded his second career triple-double shortly afterwards on March 5, 2006 when his Suns defeated the Dallas Mavericks at Dallas, 115-107. Diaw had 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, while shooting 60% from the field and committing zero turnovers in 42 minutes.

• On April 14, 2006, Diaw recorded his third career triple-double when the Suns suffered a loss to the Warriors at Golden State, 110-102. Diaw had 11 points, 11 rebounds, and a career-high, 16 assists, while adding three blocks and two steals in 42 minutes.

• Two days later, Diaw recorded his fourth career triple-double against the Los Angeles Lakers as his Suns lost 109-89. Diaw had 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists, along with a steal and shot 55% from the field in 41 minutes.

• In Game 1 of the 2006 Western Conference Finals against the Mavericks, Diaw scored a career-high 34 points, including the game-winning 7-foot turnaround jumper with 0.5 seconds remaining in regulation, to help his Suns to a 121-118 victory.

Surname

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His surname is West African-Fulani in origin and is identical to the Gambian surname 'Jawo.' While it is spelled 'Di' this is pronounced as a 'J', so the traditional pronunciation is "J'ow." The dual spellings are a result of separate British and French latinizations of Fula surnames during colonial times. Some other common examples include: 'Diallo' from Senegal (a former French colony) becomes 'Jallow' in The Gambia, a former British colony; and 'Diop' becomes 'Jobe.'

See also

• List of French NBA players

External links

• NBA.com
• BorisDiaw.com
• ESPN.com
• Basketball-Reference
• Boris Diaw Player Profile (InterBasket)
• CBS Sportsline

• 1982 births
• Living people
• French basketball players
• Atlanta Hawks players
• Phoenix Suns players