DeSagana Diop
Encyclopedia
DeSagana N'gagne Diop (born January 30, 1982 in Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...

) is a Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...

ese professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player who currently plays for the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...

. Standing seven feet tall (213 cm) and weighing 280 lbs. (127 kg), Diop's natural position is center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...

.

Early life

After he began practicing basketball at the age of 15, Diop succeeded in averaging 14.6 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 8.1 blocks during his senior high school season, earning the USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

 Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 Player of the Year title and leading Oak Hill Academy
Oak Hill Academy (Virginia)
Oak Hill Academy is a co-educational, private Baptist-affiliated secondary school in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, United States. Oak Hill's enrollment of approximately 150 students is 98% boarders, serving grades 8–12...

 in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, to a #1 nation ranking (33 wins, 0 losses).

Diop speaks five languages: Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

, Wolof
Wolof language
Wolof is a language spoken in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania, and is the native language of the Wolof people. Like the neighbouring languages Serer and Fula, it belongs to the Atlantic branch of the Niger–Congo language family...

 and some Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

.

NBA career

Diop was drafted directly out of Oak Hill Academy by the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...

 with the 8th overall pick of the 2001 NBA Draft
2001 NBA Draft
The 2001 NBA Draft took place on June 27, 2001 in New York City, New York. Kwame Brown became the first high school player drafted with the first overall pick...

. He was the fifth high school player, after Kwame Brown
Kwame Brown
Kwame James Brown is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Charlotte Bobcats. The , center was the 1st overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards, and was the first number one draft pick to be selected straight out of high school...

, Tyson Chandler
Tyson Chandler
Tyson Cleotis Chandler is an American professional basketball center who most recently played for the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA. He was also a member of the United States men's national basketball team.-High school:...

, Eddy Curry
Eddy Curry
Eddy Curry is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. He was born in Harvey, Illinois...

 and Ousmane Cisse
Ousmane Cisse
Ousmane Cisse is a Malian professional basketball player who currently plays for APOEL in Cyprus. He is a 6'9" 235 lb forward...

 to declare for the draft. He played 193 games in four seasons with the Cavaliers, as a rarely looked at backup, averaging 1.6 points, 2.6 rebounds
Rebound (sports)
Rebound is a term used in sports to describe the ball becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful...

 and 0.8 blocks
Block (basketball)
In basketball, a block , not to be confused with blocking, occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot...

 in 10.8 minutes per contest.
Diop signed a three-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...

 as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....

 on August 19, 2005. Diop quickly established himself as a defensive stalwart and potent shot blocker and rebounder, providing relief for Erick Dampier
Erick Dampier
Erick Travez Dampier is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Miami Heat. He is a 6 ft 11 in / 265 lb. center.-Career:...

 as a center. After December 31, 2005, he started most of the games for the Mavericks, assisting in their improvement and strong drive that resulted in the team qualifying to play in the NBA finals as representatives of the western conference.

Against the New York Knicks in a pre-season game, Diop hit the game-winning tip-in of a missed shot by Keith Van Horn
Keith Van Horn
Keith Adam Van Horn is a retired American professional basketball player. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward graduated from Diamond Bar High School in Diamond Bar, California and attended the University of Utah where he went on to be a consensus First Team All-American in 1997...

. Against the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...

 in November 2005, he registered 16 rebounds with a career-high 6 blocks—including a denial of Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kiyan Anthony , nicknamed "Melo", is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association...

's potentially game-winning field goal attempt.

Although the 2005–2006 season was a breakthrough for Diop, he continues to work hard. In an interview with a Dallas paper he said that his main focus for the summer will be "post moves and conditioning."

Diop's defense is applauded around the league; for the 05–06 season, he ranked 11th in total blocks, 14th in blocks per game, and 4th in blocks per 48 minutes.

In March 2006, two Mavericks fans produced a version of the hip-hop song "Jump
Jump (Kris Kross song)
"Jump" is a 1992 song by the hip hop duo Kris Kross. It was released as a single in early 1992 from their album Totally Krossed Out. It achieved great success in many countries where it topped the charts, including Australia, Switzerland and the U.S....

" by Kris Kross
Kris Kross
Kris Kross was an American rap duo of the 1990s comprising Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith. The duo are best known for their hit 1992 song "Jump", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and was certified double platinum as a single...

. In their version, the refrain "Jump! Jump!" was turned into "Diop! Diop!", and the video praises Diop's shotblocking ability. It became so popular that the Mavs started to play the video at their home games. Diop said, "I remember the first time they played the video during a timeout and I was trying to pay attention to what coach [Johnson] was trying to say but I was sneaking looks at the video."

On February 19, 2008, Diop was traded to the New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

 along with signed and traded Keith Van Horn
Keith Van Horn
Keith Adam Van Horn is a retired American professional basketball player. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward graduated from Diamond Bar High School in Diamond Bar, California and attended the University of Utah where he went on to be a consensus First Team All-American in 1997...

, Devin Harris
Devin Harris
Devin Lamar Harris is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association . Harris attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison...

, Trenton Hassell
Trenton Hassell
Trenton Lavar Hassell is an American professional basketball player who formerly played in the NBA. He earned a reputation for being one of the NBA's best perimeter defenders...

, Maurice Ager
Maurice Ager
Maurice Darnell Ager is an American professional basketball player. He played collegiately for the Michigan State Spartans from 2002 until 2006...

, $3 million cash and 2008
2008 NBA Draft
The 2008 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2008 at the Washington Mutual Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, including...

 and 2010 first round draft picks in exchange for Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd
Jason Frederick Kidd is an American professional basketball point guard who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Raised in Oakland, California, Kidd played college basketball at the University of California, Berkeley and was drafted second overall by the Dallas...

, Malik Allen
Malik Allen
Malik Omar Allen is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Orlando Magic.After four years at Villanova University Allen went undrafted in the 2000 NBA Draft. He began his career in the ABA with the San Diego Wildfire and in the International Basketball League with...

 and Antoine Wright
Antoine Wright
Antoine Domonick Wright is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for Asefa Estudiantes in Spain. He attended preparatory school at Lawrence Academy at Groton; in 2002, he led the Spartans to an Independent School League Basketball Championship...

.

On July 9, 2008, Diop has signed a six-year, $32 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...

.

On January 16, 2009, he was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...

 for guard Matt Carroll
Matt Carroll (basketball)
Matthew Carroll is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Bobcats in the NBA.Carroll is tall and weighs . He played high school basketball at Hatboro-Horsham High School in Horsham, Pennsylvania under coach Walt Ostrowski. He played college basketball at the University of...

 and center Ryan Hollins
Ryan Hollins
Ryan Kenwood Hollins is an American professional basketball player who is currently a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. He is a 7-foot center who played collegiately for the UCLA Bruins.-High school:...

.

Player profile

Diop is primarily a shot blocking, rebounding and rim defending defensive specialist. He is considered an excellent shot blocker (among the top 3 in blocks per-48 minutes) because of his large wingspan, and is athletic and mobile enough to cover quicker big men. While he has little offensive game, he has a good 15-foot jumpshot which he rarely uses and is known to throw a dunk or two. In addition, he tries hard and is rarely seen tired while on the floor, his proneness to fouls are attributed to his aggressive posture to block and contest shots and at times limits his playing time. One criticism of Diop is his inferior foul-shooting which is a rather common trait among defensive big men.

In Game 7 of the 2006 playoff matchup between San Antonio and Dallas, Diop was called the "unsung hero" of the game after grabbing two crucial offensive rebounds, disrupting a number of opponents' shots and playing very solid defense on Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan
Timothy Theodore "Tim" Duncan is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association . The 6-foot 11-inch , 255-pound power forward/center is a four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and NBA Rookie of the Year...

 in the 4th quarter and overtime with a broken nose.

On April 11, 2007, Diop recorded his first double-double with season-highs of 10 points and 15 rebounds in the Mavs' franchise-high 30th road victory, a 105–88 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...

.

Regular season

|-
| align="left" | 2001–02
| align="left" | Cleveland
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...


| 18 || 1 || 6.1 || .414 || .000 || .200 || .9 || .3 || .1 || .6 || 1.4
|-
| align="left" | 2002–03
| align="left" | Cleveland
| 80 || 1 || 11.8 || .351 || .000 || .367 || 2.7 || .5 || .4 || 1.0 || 1.5
|-
| align="left" | 2003–04
| align="left" | Cleveland
| 56 || 3 || 13.0 || .388 || .000 || .600 || 3.6 || .6 || .5 || .9 || 2.3
|-
| align="left" | 2004–05
| align="left" | Cleveland
| 39 || 0 || 7.8 || .290 || .000 || .000 || 1.8 || .4 || .2 || .7 || 1.0
|-
| align="left" | 2005–06
| align="left" | Dallas
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...


| 81 || 45 || 18.6 || .487 || .500 || .542 || 4.6 || .3 || .5 || 1.8 || 2.3
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
| align="left" | Dallas
| 81 || 9 || 18.3 || .470 || .000 || .558 || 5.4 || .4 || .5 || 1.4 || 2.3
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Dallas
| 52 || 18 || 17.2 || .583 || .000 || .600 || 5.2 || .5 || .4 || 1.2 || 3.0
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | New Jersey
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...


| 27 || 5 || 14.9 || .415 || .000 || .467 || 4.5 || .5 || .2 || .9 || 2.5
|-
| align="left" | 2008–09
2008–09 NBA season
The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, and ended on Wednesday, April 15, 2009...


| align="left" | Dallas
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...


| 34 || 0 || 13.3 || .379 || .000 || .414 || 3.5 || .4 || .3 || .7 || 1.6
|-
| align="left" | 2008–09
2008–09 NBA season
The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, and ended on Wednesday, April 15, 2009...


| align="left" | Charlotte
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...


| 41 || 1 || 14.2 || .460 || .000 || .270 || 3.8 || .5 || .4 || .8 || 2.8
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....


| align="left" | Charlotte
| 27 || 0 || 9.7 || .517 || .000 || .222 || 2.4 || .2 || .2 || .5 || 1.2
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...


| align="left" | Charlotte
| 16 || 0 || 11.3 || .333 || .000 || .364 || 2.5 || .4 || .2 || .9 || 1.3
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 552 || 83 || 14.2 || .433 || .200 || .473 || 3.8 || .4 || .4 || 1.1 || 2.1

Playoffs

|-
| align="left" | 2005–06
2006 NBA Playoffs
The 2006 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The Miami Heat won the first championship in the history of the franchise by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the 2006 NBA Finals...


| align="left" | Dallas
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...


| 22 || 18 || 18.5 || .615 || .000 || .611 || 5.0 || .1 || .6 || 1.3 || 2.7
|-
| align="left" | 2006–07
2007 NBA Playoffs
The 2007 NBA Playoffs was the postseason to the National Basketball Association's 2006–2007 season.There were four rounds of postseason action, all of them in a best-of-seven format, with teams seeded on a bracket. The team with the better record wasn't necessarily the basis of seeding teams in...


| align="left" | Dallas
| 6 || 3 || 23.3 || .600 || .000 || .429 || 6.8 || .3 || .5 || 1.7 || 3.5
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 28 || 21 || 19.5 || .611 || .000 || .560 || 5.4 || .1 || .6 || 1.4 || 2.9

Career highs

  • Points: 10 4 times
  • Rebounds: 16 vs. Denver 11/15/05
  • Assists: 4 2 times
  • Steals: 5 vs. L.A. Clippers 04/19/06
  • Blocks: 6 3 times

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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