DeSagana Diop facts for kids
Diop during a Cavaliers preseason game in October 2013
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| Westchester Knicks | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 30 January 1982 Dakar, Senegal |
| Nationality | Senegalese |
| 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 | |
As player:
As head coach:
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| 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 (/səˈɡɑːnə ˈdʒɒp/ sə-GAH-nə-_-jop; born 30 January 1982) is a former professional basketball player from Senegal. He is now a head coach for the Westchester Knicks in the NBA G League.
Contents
Early Life and Basketball Start
DeSagana Diop grew up in Senegal and first played soccer. He started playing basketball when he was 15 years old. Soon after, he moved to the United States to play for Oak Hill Academy.
During his final year at Oak Hill, he was amazing. He averaged 14.6 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 8.1 blocks per game. He was named the USA Today Virginia Player of the Year. He also helped Oak Hill Academy become the number one ranked team in the nation. They had a perfect record of 33 wins and no losses!
Diop is very good with languages. He can speak five different ones: Arabic, English, French, Wolof, and some Spanish.
Playing in the NBA
Cleveland Cavaliers (2001–2005)
DeSagana Diop was chosen by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2001 NBA draft. He was the 8th player picked overall. He was one of the few players to go straight from high school to the NBA draft.
He played as a reserve center for four seasons with the Cavaliers. He played in 193 games. On November 23, 2002, he scored a career-high 10 points in a game against the New Orleans Hornets.
The Cavaliers struggled in Diop's early years. But things started to get better when LeBron James joined the team in 2003. In the 2004–05 season, the Cavaliers had their best record in years. Even so, they did not make the playoffs, and this was Diop's last season with the team.
Dallas Mavericks (2005–2008)
Diop signed a three-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks in 2005. He was known for his defense, especially for blocking shots and getting rebounds. He shared the center position with Erick Dampier.
Joining the Mavericks was a great move for Diop. The 2005–06 season was his most successful for playoff games. The Mavericks won 60 games and made it all the way to the 2006 NBA Finals. They played against the Miami Heat but lost in six games.
In a pre-season game, Diop made a game-winning tip-in shot. On November 15, 2005, he grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds against the Denver Nuggets. In that same game, he also blocked a career-high 6 shots. This included a block on Carmelo Anthony's shot that could have won the game.
In January 2006, Diop became a full-time starter for the Mavericks. He helped them reach the 2006 NBA Finals.
- The "Diop! Diop!" Song: In March 2006, two Mavericks fans made a fun video. They changed the hip hop song "Jump" to "Diop! Diop!" The video praised Diop's shot-blocking skills. It became so popular that the Mavericks played it at their home games. Diop said it was hard to focus on his coach when the video was playing!
Diop was ranked high in blocks during the 2005–06 season. He was 11th in total blocks and 4th in blocks per 48 minutes. In a tough playoff game against the San Antonio Spurs, Diop played with a broken nose. He still managed to get important rebounds and block two of Tim Duncan's shots.
On April 11, 2007, Diop had his first "double-double" of the season. He scored 10 points and got 15 rebounds. This helped the Mavericks win their 30th road game of the season.
The Mavericks had an even better season in 2006–07, winning 67 games. They were expected to reach the finals again. However, they faced the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. The Warriors, led by Baron Davis, pulled off a huge upset. They beat the Mavericks in six games, even though the Mavericks had the best record in the league.
New Jersey Nets (2008)
On February 19, 2008, Diop was traded to the New Jersey Nets. This trade involved several players and draft picks. The Nets were rebuilding their team at this time. 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 on July 9, 2008. It was a six-year deal. However, his second time with the Mavericks was short. He did not finish the 2008–09 season with the team.
Charlotte Bobcats (2009–2013)
On January 16, 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 they were getting better.
In the 2009–10 season, the Bobcats made the playoffs! They were led by players like Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson. They finished as the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. However, they lost to the Orlando Magic in four games.
Diop continued to play for the Bobcats. But the team changed a lot in the next few seasons. They entered another rebuilding phase. In the 2011–12 season, the Bobcats had the worst record in NBA history. They only won 7 games and lost 59. Diop played one more season with the Bobcats. He played his final NBA game on March 4, 2013, against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Diop retired from the NBA shortly after, when he was 31 years old.
Coaching Career
After his playing career, DeSagana Diop became a coach.
- On November 11, 2014, he joined the Texas Legends in the NBA Development League. He started as a player development coach.
- On October 19, 2015, he was promoted to assistant coach for the Texas Legends.
- On October 3, 2016, the Utah Jazz hired him as a coaching associate.
- On November 30, 2020, he became an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets.
- Since 2022, he has been the head coach for the Westchester Knicks. As a head coach, he has won the NBA G League Winter Showcase championship twice (in 2023 and 2024).
See also
In Spanish: DeSagana Diop para niños
- List of foreign NBA coaches
