Moussa Diabaté Wasn’t Sure His Opportunity Would Come

The path to becoming a full-time starter in the NBA was far from a straight line for Moussa Diabaté. He was selected in the 2nd round (43rd overall) by the Los Angeles Clippers back in 2022, and you know how it typically goes for second-rounders in the NBA — they don't last long.

He saw limited action in his first two seasons with the Clippers, spending a good deal of time in the G League. A little over two years ago, the Charlotte Hornets rolled the dice on his potential, signing him to a two-way deal ahead of the 2024-25 season, and I think it's safe to say even they have been pleasantly surprised by the production he has been able to give them.

When he first arrived in Charlotte, he was buried on the bench, but was quickly thrown into the fire and eventually carved out a role, playing well down the stretch. Diabaté carried that over to this past season, starting 47 games and registering career highs in points (7.9), rebounds (8.7), offensive rebounds (3.7), assists (1.9), steals (0.8), and blocks (1.0).

Before that opportunity came up, he had some doubts about how things were going to go for him, but had veteran Taj Gibson in his corner, helping him stay locked in on the main goal.

“Life is going to hit you in different ways, but guess what? You just got to keep going because if you don’t, who will? Kept showing up," he said in an interview on Make It To Midnight. "Literally, that’s how my opportunities came in whatever I did. When I signed, and everything, I just kept showing up, and that’s something that Taj (Gibson) just kept on telling me. Just keep showing up. Shoutout to Taj Gibson again. Like, out of anything in life…there’s no such thing as right timing, and you don’t know when it’s going to exactly happen. But if you keep on showing up, one of them days it’s going to happen. You just got to keep showing up and give everything you have and just leave it to God after that.

“At the beginning of the season and even throughout the season, I just remember there was a time where I was just like, man, I’m not playing much, and you just get into your head a little bit," he continued. "When I came to the Hornets, I was uncertain. I didn’t even think I was going to play with them until maybe the end of the year. I found myself in a situation where I’m actually with them, and I’m not in the G (League), but I’m not even looking at the work that’s been done already, and I’m just thinking about what’s going on right now. But him just telling me like, ‘Yo, Moussa, just keep showing up. I’m telling you, your opportunity is going to come. I just remember him vividly telling me over and over, just keep showing up, and he was right. That’s my OG forever.”

This is exactly why having guys like Taj Gibson on the roster matters. Yeah, he played seldom for the Hornets during the 2024-25 season, but he played a key part in Moussa's growth.

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