Charlotte Hornets reward Moussa Diabate's relentless efforts with a three-year NBA contract

Moussa Diabate is locked down with the Charlotte Hornets.

Matt Alquiza | Feb 9, 2025

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Charlotte Hornets

The Moose is officially tied down.

On Sunday morning, the Charlotte Hornets announced the conversion of Moussa Diabate's contract from a two-way deal to a standard, three-year NBA contract. Diabate's NBA future is secured in Charlotte, and for good reason.

OFFICIAL: We have signed Moussa Diabate to a multi-year deal.

Read the press release: https://t.co/MmLMTveU6f pic.twitter.com/gZlAbFtgn6
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) February 9, 2025

Diabate's rapid ascension from a late-summer depth signing to a key contributor with the Hornets has been stunning. His statistical resume (4.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game on 59.4% shooting from the field) isn't much at first glance, but parsing the Frenchman's impact is easy when you watch his minutes on the court.

Moussa's calling card is his relentless motor. When Diabate takes the floor for Charlotte, 50/50 balls turn into 60/40 balls in his favor, and a play is never dead until the whistle blows. Combine that motor with immaculate positioning on the glass, a pterodactyl-sized wingspan, and metronomic timing when attempting to block shots, and you have a solid backup center who harkens back to memories of Bismack Biyombo.

It's not just the eye test that sells Hornets' fans on Moussa; his on/off stats are among the best on the team. According to Cleaning the Glass, Charlotte's net rating is +12.3 when Diabate plays, a 95th percentile mark in the NBA, and their defensive improves by -7.9 in Diabate's minutes, a 96th pecentile number in basketball.

With Mark Williams' set to return to the Hornets following his failed physical in Los Angeles, it's tough to pin down Diabate's role for the rest of 2025. However, no matter his role, you can always count on Diabate to stand tall against opposing stars, hustle his tail off, and impact winning basketball.

Sounds a lot like Hornets DNA to me.

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