Boris Diaw will not be playing in the NBA for the 2017-18 season. The veteran forward’s free agency came to an end on Thursday when he decided to return to France to play for Paris-Levallois in the top French basketball league rather than continue pursuing an NBA contract that had yet to manifest.
Boris Diaw will play in French Top division with Paris-Levallois according to @DavidCozette
— Sportando (@Sportando) September 14, 2017
It will be Diaw’s return to the French league where he began his professional career before being drafted into the NBA by the Atlanta Hawks. Diaw most recently played for the Jazz, where he averaged 4.6 points, 2.3 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game in his 73 appearances for Utah. The veteran’s shooting took a serious downturn in Utah compared to where it was during his career revitalization in San Antonio prior, as he shot a paltry 24.7 percent from three-point range.
Even with that poor shooting effort, Diaw was expected to still find his way onto an NBA roster as a veteran presence and in the hopes he could bounce back. Whether this will be the end of Diaw’s 14-year NBA career or not will be determined later, should he make a stateside return in 2018, but for now, it’s au revoir to one of the most unique and beloved personalities in basketball.
