DeSagana N'gagne Diop ( ; born January 30, 1982) is a Senegalese former professional

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 (appr ...

player who is currently head coach for the

Westchester Knicks The Westchester Knicks are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in White Plains, New York, and are affiliated with the New York Knicks. The Knicks typically play their home games at Westchester County Center in White ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

Early life

Diop played soccer while growing up in Senegal. He began practicing basketball at the age of 15 and moved to the US to play for Oak Hill Academy, where he succeeded in averaging 14.6 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 8.1 blocks during his senior year.Diop declares for NBA draft
/ref> He earned the

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Player of the Year title and led Oak Hill Academy in

Mouth of Wilson, Virginia Mouth of Wilson is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community, in Grayson County, Virginia, Grayson County in the U.S. state of Virginia, just north of the North Carolina state line. The community lies in the Blue Ridge Highlands section of ...

, to a #1 nation ranking (33 wins, 0 losses). Diop speaks five languages:Cavaliers: Cavalier DeSagana Diop Holds a Special Reading Timeout in French with St. Ignatius High School Students

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Wolof Wolof or Wollof may refer to: * Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...

and some

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

Professional career

Cleveland Cavaliers (2001–2005)

Diop was drafted directly out of Oak Hill Academy by the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

with the 8th overall pick of the

2001 NBA draft The 2001 NBA draft took place on June 27, 2001 in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player to be drafted with the first overall pick in the history of the NBA. The selection of Kwame Brown by the Washington Wizards, ...

. He was the fifth high school player, after

Kwame Brown Kwame Hasani Brown (born March 10, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who spent 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Selected by the Washington Wizards in the 2001 NBA draft, Brown was the first No. ...

Tyson Chandler Tyson Cleotis Chandler (born October 2, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Chandler was drafted directly out of high school as the second overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, then w ...

Eddy Curry Eddy Anthony Curry Jr. (born December 5, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Coming directly out of Thornwood High School in South Holland, Illinois, Curry was selected fourth overall in the 2001 NBA draft by the Chicago B ...

and

Ousmane Cisse Ousmane Cisse (born October 20, 1982) is a Malian retired professional basketball player. Standing at 6' 9" he played both power forward and center positions. In 2005-06 he was the top rebounder in the Israel Basketball Premier League, as well as ...

to declare for the draft. As a reserve center, he played 193 games in four seasons with the Cavaliers, averaging 1.6 points, 2.6

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

and 0.8 blocks in 10.8 minutes per contest. On November 23, 2002, Diop dropped a career high 10 points in a 97–84 loss to the

New Orleans Hornets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. The Cavaliers heavily struggled in Diop's first few years with the team. The franchise eventually began to improve with the addition of an 18 year old

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 widely considered one of the greatest pl ...

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 ...

. In the 2004-2005 season, the Cavaliers had posted their best record since the 1997-1998 season, going 42–40. However they still missed the playoffs and this was Diop's final year with the team.

Dallas Mavericks (2005–2008)

Diop signed a three-year contract with the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

on August 19, 2005. Diop, a defensive player who specialized in shot blocking and rebounding, shared the center position with

Erick Dampier Erick Travez Dampier (born July 14, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks. ...

. He had joined a winning team, and the 2005–2006 season was Diop's most successful season regarding playoff success as the Mavericks went 60–22, made a deep playoff push and reached the 2006 finals. The Mavericks ended up losing the finals in 6 games to the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

. Against the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

in a pre-season game, Diop hit the game-winning tip-in off of a missed shot by

Keith Van Horn Keith Adam Van Horn (born October 23, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. Van Horn played for the New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball ...

. On November 15, 2005, Diop recorded a career high 16 rebounds in an 83–80 win over the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. In that same game, Diop also recorded a career high 6 blocks—including a denial of

Carmelo Anthony Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team me ...

's potentially game-winning field goal attempt. On January 14, 2006, he became a full-time starter for the Mavericks for the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs, assisting in the Mavericks qualifying for the

2006 NBA Finals The 2006 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2005–06 NBA season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Dallas Mavericks were favored to win the championship over the Miami Heat. Despite these odds, the Heat won the title in ...

as representatives of the Western Conference. In March 2006, two Mavericks fans produced a version of the hip-hop song "

Jump Jumping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jump or Jumping also may refer to: Places * Jump, Kentucky or Jump St ...

" by

Kris Kross Kris Kross was an American hip hop duo that consisted of Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith. Kris Kross was the youngest hip-hop duo to gain success, with gold and platinum albums at 12 and 13 years old. The duo was discover ...

. In their version, the refrain "Jump! Jump!" was turned into "Diop! Diop!", and the video praises Diop's shotblocking ability. It became so popular that the Mavs started to play the video at their home games. Diop said, "I remember the first time they played the video during a timeout and I was trying to pay attention to what coach ohnsonwas trying to say but I was sneaking looks at the video." For the 2005–06 season, he ranked 11th in total blocks, 14th in blocks per game, and 4th in blocks per 48 minutes. In Game 7 of the 2006 Western Conference Semifinals between San Antonio and Dallas, Diop, playing with a broken nose, grabbed three offensive rebounds (four total), and blocked two of

Tim Duncan Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Big Fundamental", he is widely regarded as the greatest power forward of all time and one of the greatest players in NBA histor ...

's shots in the second and fourth quarter and overtime. On April 11, 2007, Diop recorded his first double-double with season highs of 10 points and 15 rebounds in the Mavs' franchise-high 30th road victory, a 105–88 win over the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

. The Mavericks finished the 2006–2007 season even more successful than the previous season, with a franchise best 67–15 record. They were extremely dominant throughout the season, and unlike the previous season, they were expected to reach the finals again. They grabbed the 1st seed in the Western Conference, and matched up with the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

in the first round. The Warriors had gone 42–40 and were barely a winning team that season, they were expected to be heavily outmatched by the Mavericks. In what was considered the greatest playoff upset of all time, the Warriors defeated the Mavericks in 6 games and advanced to the second round. Led by

Baron Davis Baron Walter Louis Davis (born April 13, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who is a studio analyst for the ''NBA on TNT''. He was a two-time NBA All-Star, made the All-NBA Third Team in 2004, and twice led the NBA in s ...

, the Warriors stunned the Mavericks and outplayed them in the series. The Mavericks had the best record in the league, but they ended up losing because the Warriors had matched up very well against them. One of the main reasons was

Don Nelson Donald Arvid Nelson (born May 15, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335 (he held the record for most wins for almost 12 ...

. Nelson, who was the head coach of the Warriors and former head coach of the Mavericks, had understood how to defend the Mavericks well as he coached them the previous season. In the 2006–2007 season the Warriors won the season series 3–1 against them. Despite Diop's and the Mavericks' best efforts, the Warriors played very well against them and managed to knock out the best team in the league in the first round.

New Jersey Nets (2008)

On February 19, 2008, Diop was traded to the

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

, along with signed-and-traded

Devin Harris Devin Lamar Harris (born February 27, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. Harris attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Harris was selected with the fifth pick in the 2004 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards. E ...

Trenton Hassell Trenton Lavar Hassell (born March 4, 1979) is an American former professional basketball forward. A , guard-forward, Hassell was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 30th overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft. Early life and college career Hasse ...

Maurice Ager Maurice Darnell Ager (born February 9, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played at the collegiate level for the Michigan State Spartans from 2002 until 2006, and earned a spot on the 19-and-under USA basketball team ...

, and roughly $3 million cash and

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

and 2010 first-round draft picks in exchange for

Jason Kidd Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Regarded as one of the greatest point guards ...

Malik Allen Malik Omar Allen (born June 27, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player, currently serving as an assistant coach for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Professional career After four years at Villano ...

, and Antoine Wright. Diop never achieved the same team success as he did in the 2005–2006 and 2006–2007 seasons as the Nets entered a stage of rebuilding and finished the 2007–2008 season with a mediocre 34–48 record and missed the playoffs.

Return to Dallas (2008–2009)

On July 9, 2008, Diop signed a six-year, $32 million contract with the

. Diop's return to Dallas was short as he didn't finish the 2008-2009 season with the team.

Charlotte Bobcats (2009–2013)

On January 16, 2009, Diop was traded to the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populous ...

for guard Matt Carroll and center

Ryan Hollins Ryan Kenwood Hollins (born October 10, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player who is a color commentator for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. He ...

. Diop spent the rest of his playing career with the Charlotte Bobcats. The Bobcats had been a struggling team for the past few years prior but they had been steadily improving and finished the 2008-2009 season 35-47 and missed the playoffs by 4 games. In the following 2009-2010 season the Bobcats, led by all star

Gerald Wallace Gerald Jermaine Wallace (born July 23, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Crash", he was named an NBA All-Star and voted to the NBA All-Defensive First Team while with the Charlotte Bobcats in 2010. He played ...

and leader

Stephen Jackson Stephen Jesse Jackson (born April 5, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Mi ...

, went 44-38 and made the playoffs as the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. They faced a difficult opponent in the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

, and although the Bobcats played great defense and kept each game close, they eventually lost to the Magic in a 4-game sweep. Diop continued to play well for the team however the roster had drastically changed in the following seasons and unfortunately he missed the playoffs for the rest of his career. In the following season the Bobcats only went 34-48 and the team's roster had shifted as Charlotte entered another rebuild. In the 2011-2012 season the Bobcats made history by having the worst record in NBA history, ending the season with an abysmal 7–59 record. The team had acquired young players and were set to make the playoffs in the future, however Diop only played one more season with the Bobcats and they ended up missing the playoffs in the 2012-2013 season. On March 4, 2013, Diop played his final NBA game; a 105–122 loss hosted by the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

; where he recorded two points, two rebounds, one block, and one foul in over 15 minutes of playing time. On September 30, 2013, Diop signed with the

. However he didn't play for the team as he was waived before the season started on October 25. Diop retired from the NBA shortly after at 31 years old.

Coaching career

On November 11, 2014, Diop joined the coaching staff of the

Texas Legends The Texas Legends are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Frisco, Texas, and are affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks. The Legends play their home games at the Comerica Center. The team began as the Colorado 14 ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

as a player development coach. On October 19, 2015, he was promoted to assistant coach. On October 3, 2016, Diop was hired by 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 league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

as a coaching associate. On November 30, 2020, Diop was hired by the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

as an assistant coach.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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, 56 , , 3 , , 13.0 , , .388 , , .000 , , .600 , , 3.6 , , .6 , , .5 , , .9 , , 2.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

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, 81 , , 9 , , 18.3 , , .470 , , .000 , , .558 , , 5.4 , , .4 , , .5 , , 1.4 , , 2.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

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, 34 , , 0 , , 13.3 , , .379 , , .000 , , .414 , , 3.5 , , .4 , , .4 , , .7 , , 1.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

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, 41 , , 1 , , 14.2 , , .460 , , .000 , , .270 , , 3.8 , , .5 , , .4 , , .8 , , 2.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 27 , , 0 , , 9.7 , , .517 , , .000 , , .222 , , 2.4 , , .2 , , .2 , , .5 , , 1.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 16 , , 0 , , 11.3 , , .333 , , .000 , , .364 , , 2.5 , , .4 , , .3 , , .9 , , 1.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 27 , , 9 , , 12.0 , , .357 , , .000 , , .167 , , 3.1 , , .9 , , .2 , , .5 , , 1.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 22 , , 1 , , 10.3 , , .296 , , .000 , , .000 , , 2.3 , , .6 , , .2 , , .7 , , .7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 601 , , 93 , , 14.0 , , .427 , , .167 , , .467 , , 3.7 , , .4 , , .4 , , 1.0 , , 2.0

Playoffs

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2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...