Exclusive: Moussa Diabaté discusses earning contract with Hornets, goals for remainder of the season

Moussa Diabate first joined the Hornets in July of 2024 after signing a two-way contract and over the course of the season his play recently earned him a multi-year contract with the Hornets. "It's always a blessing," Diabate says. "It's just amazing at the end of the day to be able to play the game that you love and obviously to get rewarded."

Feb 10, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) dunks against Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson (2) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Charlotte Hornets center Moussa Diabate joined Ashley Stroehlein ahead of the team’s Wednesday night matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves to discuss what this season has been like, earning his contract, goals for the remainder of the season and more.

Great catching up with Moussa Diabaté after shootaround! Catch our interview later today on @SI_Hornets!#NBA | #Hornets | @MoussaDiabate_ pic.twitter.com/jGpxkZzi5A

— Ashley Stroehlein (@ashstro) March 5, 2025

Q: What has this season has been like for you?

A: It's been great. Obviously there's been a lot of challenges for the team and just obviously me as well. Personally, I would say it's been good. I definitely got the chance to play and accomplish things that I wanted to be done.

Q: What did it mean for the result of your hard work and dedication to be noticed and then have that two-way contract converted to a three-year deal with the Hornets?

A: It's great. It's always a blessing, you know, like I said, it's just amazing at the end of the day to be able to play the game that you love and obviously to get rewarded. So it's always great, but like I said, I always see it as a stepping stone, there's other things that I want to accomplish, and that's only the beginning, hopefully.

Q: How have you balanced this year, from spending time with the Swarm to getting called up to the Hornets, to then ultimately earning that contract? What has this year been like as far as being able to balance all of that?

A: Just staying mentally locked in and just staying ready, keep staying ready and just understanding that it's a process. Don't take it personal at any time, and just trying to do everything you can to put yourself in the best position to succeed.

Q: Has there been anyone this season, whether it's a player, coach, or someone in your personal life, that you've really leaned on to help you get better and stay focused and balanced?

A: I'll say everybody really helped me out for real to be honest. Everybody's been in my ear trying to tell me to stay patient, to keep working, that we see what you're doing, keep grinding. Taj (Gibson) definitely been there as our vet. Taj has been through it all, so he knows it better, he has definitely been here to help me out as well. I mean, everybody from the coaches, staff to the players, it's everyone.

Q: The physicality and the grit that you go out there and play with, what kind of mindset do you tap into to, to go out there and be able to go head to head with these other players on other teams?

A: I think it's just how I've been playing my whole life, really. I think I just play hard, that's my way to have fun. I just think that's just how I play. 

Q:  Looking at tonight's matchup against Minnesota, what are you focused on and what's the game plan there for you?

A: First of all, let's stick to the game plan. I think that's going to be the most important thing. Stick to the game plan and understand that it's an up and down game. It's a game of runs, so don't get too excited if we go up or if we go down, just don’t panic. It's a game of runs and we got to understand that and just give everything we have and that's gonna give us the best chance to stay in the game and win.

Q: As you look at the roughly next six weeks of this season, a little over a month left, what are the goals that you have? What are you looking to accomplish as you finish out the year?

A: Just staying as consistent as I can. Keep on getting better every day. Those are the main things. Just keep on staying consistent, keep on getting better, and after that we'll see what's going to happen. For right now, just trying to stay locked in, trying to help the team as much as I can.

Q: What do you think the key is to finding that consistency?

A: Being able to stay disciplined in hard times and good times. I think that's the most important thing, especially with the type of season we had, obviously it is not an excuse, but with injuries it's never easy. So it’s just staying locked in and understand that it's a process and you just got to keep on waking up every day and do the same thing over and over.

Q: For you to be here and in the league and represent your country and to now see double digit players from France in the league, what does it mean to see so many people be able to find success here and make their way into the NBA?

A: It's great. It's definitely a huge boost for French basketball and also for the young guys that's coming up. I think they definitely have more examples now, so it's amazing. It's a good thing to see.

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