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Farewell to Boris Diaw

Boris Diaw will be traded to clear cap space for Pau Gasol's contract, and we look back on his time with the silver and black.

By Mark Barrington
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Professional sports is a cruel business. Players can form long-lasting relationships, which can be severed at a moment's notice for reasons beyond their control. But it can be just as hard on the fans as they see their some of their favorite players get moved to other teams. With the signing of Pau Gasol to the Spurs, it's apparent that they are going to have to trade Boris Diaw to another team to clear cap space for Gasol's 2-year $30 million contract. Boris was notified by the team that he would be moved if Gasol was signed, and he gave the Spurs a list of 5 teams that he would prefer to go to. Yesterday, it was announced he would go to the Utah Jazz where he would join his fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert.

In March 2012, Boris Diaw seemed to be washed up as an NBA player.  After playing for the Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns, he got traded to Charlotte and seemed to lose interest in basketball. Playing on a 7 win team, his contract was bought out by the Bobcats and he was waived.

As a favor to Tony Parker, who had played with him since childhood, the Spurs picked him up for the remainder of the season.  Although he wasn't in shape, he played well for the Spurs for the remainder of 2012 and they brought him back for the next season. He turned into a key contributor for the Spurs for the 4 1/4 years that he was on the team. He had an amazing ability to be agile even though he was never slight. His passing and defense were critical in the Spurs 2014 championship. His uncanny footwork and gracefulness around the basket is unmatched for a man his size. His willingness to pass was never an issue, in fact, he often would pass the ball even when he had a wide-open look, which frustrated fans to no end.

But Boris is more than just a basketball player, he's also an artist:

And he's a photographer and he wrote a children's book.  He's really the NBA's renaissance man. So let's all raise a glass of Bordeaux to to the big croissant as he moves on to the next stage in his career.

This one's for you, Boris:

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