DeSagana Diop facts for kids
Diop during a Cavaliers preseason game in October 2013
|
|
| Westchester Knicks | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 30 January 1982 Dakar, Senegal |
| High school | Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia) |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 280 lb (127 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA Draft | 2001 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8th overall |
| Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers | |
| Pro career | 2001–2013 |
| Coaching career | 2014–present |
| League | NBA G League |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 2001–2005 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2005–2008 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2008 | New Jersey Nets |
| 2008–2009 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2009–2013 | Charlotte Bobcats |
| As coach: | |
| 2014–2016 | Texas Legends (player development / assistant) |
| 2016–2020 | Utah Jazz (coaching associate) |
| 2020–2022 | Houston Rockets (assistant) |
| 2022–present | Westchester Knicks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Career NBA G League statistics | |
| Points | 1,185 (2.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,219 (3.7 rpg) |
| Blocks | 630 (1.0 bpg) |
DeSagana N'gagne Diop (born January 30, 1982) is a former professional basketball player from Senegal. He is currently the head coach for the Westchester Knicks in the NBA G League. Diop was known for his strong defense and shot-blocking skills during his playing career.
Contents
Early Life and High School
DeSagana Diop grew up in Senegal and first played soccer. He started playing basketball when he was 15 years old. Diop then moved to the United States to attend Oak Hill Academy in Virginia.
During his final year at Oak Hill, he was a star player. He averaged 14.6 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 8.1 blocks per game. Diop was named the USA Today Virginia Player of the Year. He helped his team achieve a perfect 33-0 record and become the number one ranked high school team in the country.
Diop is also very good with languages. He can speak Arabic, English, French, Wolof, and some Spanish.
Professional Basketball Career
Cleveland Cavaliers (2001–2005)
DeSagana Diop was drafted directly from high school into the NBA in 2001. The Cleveland Cavaliers picked him as the 8th player overall. He was one of the first high school players to go straight to the NBA draft.
Diop played 193 games for the Cavaliers over four seasons. He was a reserve center, meaning he usually came off the bench. He averaged about 1.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game. In November 2002, he scored a career-high 10 points in a game against the New Orleans Hornets.
The Cavaliers struggled in Diop's first few years. However, the team started to get better when LeBron James joined in 2003. In the 2004–05 season, the Cavaliers had their best record in years, winning 42 games. This was Diop's last season with the team.
Dallas Mavericks (2005–2008)
In 2005, Diop signed with the Dallas Mavericks. He was a defensive player who was great at blocking shots and grabbing rebounds. He shared the center position with Erick Dampier. Diop joined a very strong team.
The 2005–06 season was a big success for Diop and the Mavericks. They won 60 games and made it all the way to the 2006 NBA Finals. They played against the Miami Heat but lost the series in six games.
Diop had some memorable moments with the Mavericks. In November 2005, he grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds in a win against the Denver Nuggets. In the same game, he also had a career-high 6 blocks, including a game-saving block on Carmelo Anthony.
In January 2006, Diop became a full-time starter for the Mavericks. He helped them reach the NBA Finals. Fans even made a fun hip hop song about him, changing "Jump! Jump!" to "Diop! Diop!" The team played the video at home games, and Diop enjoyed it.
He was one of the best shot-blockers in the league that season. In a playoff game against the San Antonio Spurs, Diop played with a broken nose. He still managed to grab important rebounds and block shots from star player Tim Duncan.
In April 2007, Diop achieved his first "double-double" (scoring double digits in two different stats). He had 10 points and 15 rebounds in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Mavericks had an amazing 67-15 record in the 2006–07 season. However, they surprisingly lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Golden State Warriors.
New Jersey Nets (2008)
In February 2008, Diop was traded to the New Jersey Nets. This team was rebuilding, so Diop did not have the same team success as he did with the Mavericks. The Nets missed the playoffs that season.
Return to Dallas (2008–2009)
Diop signed a new contract with the Dallas Mavericks in July 2008. However, his second time with the team was short. He was traded again before the 2008–09 season ended.
Charlotte Bobcats (2009–2013)
In January 2009, Diop was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats. He spent the rest of his playing career with this team. The Bobcats had been struggling but were slowly getting better.
In the 2009–10 season, the Bobcats made the playoffs as the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. They were led by players like Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson. However, they lost in the first round to the Orlando Magic.
After that season, the Bobcats' team changed a lot. They entered another rebuilding phase. In the 2011–12 season, the Bobcats had the worst record in NBA history, winning only 7 games. Diop played one more season with the Bobcats, and they missed the playoffs again.
Diop played his final NBA game on March 4, 2013. He officially retired from the NBA shortly after, at 31 years old.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, DeSagana Diop began a coaching career.
- In November 2014, he joined the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League (now NBA G League) as a player development coach. He was promoted to assistant coach in 2015.
- In October 2016, Diop was hired by the Utah Jazz as a coaching associate.
- In November 2020, he became an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets.
- Since 2022, he has been the head coach for the Westchester Knicks in the NBA G League. As a head coach, he has led his team to win the NBA G League Winter Showcase championship twice, in 2023 and 2024.
NBA Career Statistics
| 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 |
Regular Season Stats
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | Cleveland | 18 | 1 | 6.1 | .414 | .000 | .200 | .9 | .3 | .1 | .6 | 1.4 |
| 2002–03 | Cleveland | 80 | 1 | 11.8 | .351 | .000 | .367 | 2.7 | .5 | .4 | 1.0 | 1.5 |
| 2003–04 | Cleveland | 56 | 3 | 13.0 | .388 | .000 | .600 | 3.6 | .6 | .5 | .9 | 2.3 |
| 2004–05 | Cleveland | 39 | 0 | 7.8 | .290 | .000 | .000 | 1.8 | .4 | .2 | .7 | 1.0 |
| 2005–06 | Dallas | 81 | 45 | 18.6 | .487 | .500 | .542 | 4.6 | .3 | .5 | 1.8 | 2.3 |
| 2006–07 | Dallas | 81 | 9 | 18.3 | .470 | .000 | .558 | 5.4 | .4 | .5 | 1.4 | 2.3 |
| 2007–08 | Dallas | 52 | 18 | 17.2 | .583 | .000 | .600 | 5.2 | .5 | .4 | 1.2 | 3.0 |
| 2007–08 | New Jersey | 27 | 5 | 14.9 | .415 | .000 | .467 | 4.5 | .5 | .2 | .9 | 2.5 |
| 2008–09 | Dallas | 34 | 0 | 13.3 | .379 | .000 | .414 | 3.5 | .4 | .4 | .7 | 1.6 |
| 2008–09 | Charlotte | 41 | 1 | 14.2 | .460 | .000 | .270 | 3.8 | .5 | .4 | .8 | 2.8 |
| 2009–10 | Charlotte | 27 | 0 | 9.7 | .517 | .000 | .222 | 2.4 | .2 | .2 | .5 | 1.2 |
| 2010–11 | Charlotte | 16 | 0 | 11.3 | .333 | .000 | .364 | 2.5 | .4 | .3 | .9 | 1.3 |
| 2011–12 | Charlotte | 27 | 9 | 12.0 | .357 | .000 | .167 | 3.1 | .9 | .2 | .5 | 1.1 |
| 2012–13 | Charlotte | 22 | 1 | 10.3 | .296 | .000 | .000 | 2.3 | .6 | .2 | .7 | .7 |
| Career | 601 | 93 | 14.0 | .427 | .167 | .467 | 3.7 | .4 | .4 | 1.0 | 2.0 | |
Playoff Stats
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Dallas | 22 | 18 | 18.5 | .615 | .000 | .611 | 5.0 | .1 | .6 | 1.3 | 2.7 |
| 2007 | Dallas | 6 | 3 | 23.3 | .600 | .000 | .429 | 6.8 | .3 | .5 | 1.7 | 3.5 |
| Career | 28 | 21 | 19.5 | .611 | .000 | .560 | 5.4 | .1 | .6 | 1.4 | 2.9 | |
See also
In Spanish: DeSagana Diop para niños
