Mar 21, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) dunks against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Hornets center Moussa Diabate cut from the France roster for EuroBasket

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Owen O'Connor | Last updated Aug 8, 2025 2:56 PM ET

In the midst of the offseason, EuroBasket 2025 has tipped off it's 42nd edition of the league, which is the primary basketball championship in Europe, and organized by FIBA Europe.

There are 24 countries in the league, and several of them own current and former NBA players on their roster. Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo are just a few of the big names that will play for a title for their country this summer.

When each country released its preliminary roster, multiple current and former Charlotte Hornets' players made appearances representing their country. The most notable was with France, where the team's starting center, Moussa Diabate, had the chance to make the main squad.

Diabate is coming off a career year, where he was able to win the starting center job for the squad, essentially, twice. He signed with the team on a two-way contract before eventually earning a standard NBA deal from the team back in February.

In 71 games with the Hornets, Moussa averaged 17.5 minutes, scoring 5.7 points a night and adding 6.2 rebounds. In his final two games as a starter, the big man averaged 18.5 points and 12.5 rebounds, showing promise as a potential great starting center in the NBA. It was a diamond in the rough find for Jeff Peterson and Charles Lee, and it has paid off tremendously for the team.

With rosters being reduced down to 14 players, Diabate, along with Frank Ntilkinia and Ousmane Dieng, did not make the team. It's a disappointing end to what would have given Hornets fans the chance to see how their starting center developed over the summer, and fans will instead have to wait until the team kicks off preseason in the fall against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Diabate is expected to take on a much larger role this year, with the only other centers on the roster being rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner and veteran Mason Plumlee. With Diabate only being 23 as well, he fits the timeline of the Hornets roster and could very well be the starting center of the future.