Moussa Diabate’s rise in Charlotte didn’t happen overnight. He started out in Los Angeles as a second-round pick who barely saw the floor for the Clippers, but he kept grinding anyway until he worked his way into being a rotation player.
That patience has paid off in a big way. Diabate is now a key piece for the Hornets, a starting center who went from a two-way deal with both teams to carving out a real role in Charlotte. It’s the kind of climb that says plenty about the work he put in from the beginning.
The 2025-26 season has turned him into one of the league’s steadier rebounders. Even while playing just 26 minutes a night, he pulled down 8.7 rebounds per game and added 7.9 points on 63.1% shooting. Playing alongside LaMelo Ball helped with the efficiency, since so many of those looks came off passes from Ball.
That part of his game will look different in the 2026-27 season without Ball, but Diabate has also kept improving in his own right. Earlier in his career, he wasn’t getting the minutes he believed he had earned, and it took until the 2024-25 season for him to finally get his chance.
When that opportunity came, Taj Gibson was in the locker room helping him stay locked in. Diabate said Gibson’s message stuck with him and helped push him toward becoming a regular in Charlotte’s rotation.
"Life is gonna hit you in different ways, but guess what? You just gotta keep going because if you don't, who will...
Kept showing up; that's how my opportunities came in whatever I did. When I signed, I just kept showing up, and that's what Taj kept on telling me.
Shout out to Taj Gibson again," Diabate said on the Make It To Midnight podcast about how Gibson motivated him to become a Hornets regular.
At 24, Diabate still has room to grow, especially on offense. But the rebounding is already there, and that alone gives him a strong foundation as he looks to make an even bigger impact for Charlotte moving forward.
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
Charles Lees first summer in Charlotte has already shown he intends to do more than manage rotations and lineups. The Hornets coach took part in the Brandon Miller Celebrity Pickleball Classic, using the event as another chance to reinforce how he wants the team to carry itself away from the court. With a roster that looks significantly different after a busy offseason, the message around the organization has been as much about habits and presence as it has been about basketball.
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 🡒]
Hornets Fans Will Love NBA 2K27's Nod To Moussa Diabat
NBA 2K27 is already giving Hornets fans a little extra reason to smile, with the game slipping in a Charlotte-specific celebration tied to Moussa Diabat. It is the kind of small franchise touch that tends to resonate in a market looking for more little wins, especially around a player who made plenty of them last season while carving out a real role for himself in Charlotte.
Diabats rise has been one of the quieter success stories on the roster, from his 73-game season to the 2025-26 Kia NBA Hustle Award that put a spotlight on his energy and activity. He is also under contract through a three-year deal signed in February 2025, so the Hornets have reason to believe this is more than a one-year feel-good moment, even if the games recognition is only part of the larger picture. [Read more 🡒]