Charlotte Hornets center Moussa Diabate has once again declined a call-up to the French national team, choosing to focus on his NBA season despite being asked to replace injured center Vincent Poirier for FIBA EuroBasket 2025.
A year after declining to play as a training partner for the French national team ahead of the Olympic Games, Charlotte Hornets center Moussa Diabate has done it again, reports L'Equipe.
Moussa Diabate
Moussa Diabate
Position: C
Age: 23
Height: 208 cm
Weight: 95 kg
Birth place: Paris, France
Diabate was called up to replace Vincent Poirier, who will miss FIBA EuroBasket 2025 due to a right knee injury, but he turned down the invitation.
Diabate was included in France's preliminary roster ahead of EuroBasket, but was among the first cuts this summer. He was not interested in rejoining the squad after the latest developments.
"We contacted him to come and replace Vincent," confirmed head coach Frederic Fauthoux after France's 78-73 win over Spain. "But he prefers to focus on his NBA season. He consulted his entourage and made this decision. We took note."
Drafted in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft, 23-year-old Diabate had brief stints with the Los Angeles Clippers and Charlotte before securing a guaranteed contract last January.
Asked about the possibility of calling on players who didn't participate in summer preparations, Fauthoux said: "Maybe, but they are not the first options. You have to respect the people who did the preparation and invested in the project. Diabate checked many boxes, but apparently it wasn't enough to motivate him."
This summer, France is missing several key centers: Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, Mathias Lessort, and now Poirier.
Last season, Diabate averaged 5.7 points and 6.2 rebounds over 71 games (8 starts) for the Hornets.
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