NBA 2K27 is giving Moussa Diabaté a little extra shine.
The game includes a Charlotte-specific celebration called “Charlotte Moose,” a nod to the Hornets center and the nickname Charlotte uses for him. The antler celebration has already made its way beyond the floor, too - it turned into merchandise last season, when the Hornets put foam moose antlers in the fan shop.
Diabaté enters the game with a 79 overall rating in NBA 2K27, according to 2K Ratings. That’s down one point from NBA 2K26. Ryan Kalkbrenner also checks in at 79, while five Charlotte players are rated higher.
Three Hornets cracked the game’s top-100. Brandon Miller is ranked No. 57 with an 85 overall, Kon Knueppel is No. 66 at 84, and Naz Reid sits at No. 80 with an 82.
Knueppel’s shooting numbers jump off the page. He carries a 94 in 3-point shooting, second only to Stephen Curry’s 99, and that’s a sizable leap from his 85 in that category in NBA 2K26.
For early-access players, the celebration showed up Wednesday when access opened Aug. 26 at 9 a.m. PT for Deluxe and Ultra edition buyers.
2K had previously listed Aug. 28 as the date until the Preseason Breakdown stream on Aug. 18 changed the timeline. The full game arrives Sept.
Diabaté’s real-life production helped make the nickname stick. He played 73 games last season and started 47, averaging 26.0 minutes per game.
He put up 7.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists while adding 1.0 block and 0.8 steals a night. He also shot 63.1% from the field and 65.9% from the free-throw line.
The NBA’s 2025-26 Kia NBA Hustle Award went to Diabaté, with the honor determined by statistical formula rather than a media vote. Among qualified players, he ranked first on a per-minute basis in offensive box outs, fourth in screen assists, eighth in offensive loose balls recovered and 10th in contested 2-point shots. He also finished fifth in offensive rebounds per game at 3.7.
Dec. 23 marked the point when Diabaté moved into Charlotte’s starting lineup for good. The Hornets were 9-20 through Dec. 22, then went 35-18 the rest of the way, which was the sixth-best winning percentage in the league over that stretch. Charlotte then beat the Miami Heat in the 9-10 play-in game before losing to the Orlando Magic in the 8-9 play-in game.
Diabaté’s path to Charlotte started with the Los Angeles Clippers, who drafted him 43rd overall in 2022 out of Michigan. The Hornets signed him to a two-way deal in July 2024 and converted him seven months later, in February 2025, on a three-year, $5,689,960 contract.
ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk reported in June that Charlotte had guaranteed the $2,461,462 Diabaté is owed this season. At that point, his salary had been non-guaranteed.
The first $250,000 would have locked in on opening night, and the rest on Jan. 10, 2027.
If the sides do not agree to an extension, Diabaté can become an unrestricted free agent in 2027.
In Other News...
Hornets Reset Just Put Serious Pressure On Charlottes Young Core
Charlottes roster reset has pushed the spotlight squarely onto the young players the front office wants to build around. After a busy stretch that included re-signing Coby White and bringing in Grayson Allen, Dorian Finney-Smith and Dennis Schroder, the Hornets are signaling a clear direction change, one that leans less on the old core and more on what White, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Naz Reid and Moussa Diabate can become together.
For Miller and Knueppel in particular, the pressure is immediate. President and general manager Jeff Peterson has made it clear he likes the path the organization is taking, and the moves around the roster suggest Charlotte is comfortable letting the younger wings grow into larger responsibilities faster than expected. The question now is whether that confidence matches the reality on the floor, because the Hornets next phase will be judged less by the names they moved and more by how quickly the new core can carry the load. [Read more 🡒]
Charles Lee Is Setting A New Tone For These Hornets
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The changes have been hard to miss, with Charlotte reshaping the group it will bring into the new season and adding fresh faces after a summer of movement. The preseason and regular season schedules are now out, which means the calendar is set for the first real look at how this new version of the Hornets will come together. Lees early emphasis on community and connection suggests he wants that process to start long before opening night. [Read more 🡒]
Moussa Diabates Rise Says A Lot About Charlottes Young Core
Moussa Diabates path to Charlotte has been shaped by patience, persistence and a steady climb from the edge of the NBA rotation to a much bigger role. After starting out with limited minutes with the Clippers, he worked his way into being a reliable frontcourt piece, and now he has carved out a spot as the Hornets starting center, bringing energy on the glass and a scoring touch that does not waste possessions.
For a young Charlotte core still trying to define itself, Diabates rise is a useful reminder of how much value there is in players who keep building while waiting for their chance. Veteran Taj Gibson played a part in that growth by pushing him through the lean stretches, and Diabates emergence gives the Hornets another encouraging example of development paying off, even if the bigger question around how far this group can go is still in front of them. [Read more 🡒]