Meet the Olympians: Yakhouba Diawara
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Yakhouba Diawara (’05) will become the second Wave ever to compete in the sport of
men’s basketball at the Olympics, as he represents France in the international events
this summer.
Diawara played two seasons for the Waves (2003-04 and 2004-05) after transferring
from Southern Idaho. Despite missing the first half of the season, he was named to
the All-West Coast Conference first team in 2004 after averaging 18.9 points and 6.6
rebounds.
Though undrafted, the 6-foot-7, 225-pound guard/forward would eventually make the
NBA and played two seasons each with the Denver Nuggets (2006-07 and 2007-08) and
the Miami Heat (2008-09 and 2009-10). Most recently, he's been playing overseas in
Italy.
The French Federation announced July 11 that Diawara would replace Charles Kahudi
on the previously announced 12-man roster. The French squad includes such NBA standouts
as Nicolas Batum, Boris Diaw, Tony Parker, and Ronny Turiaf.
Follow Diawara’s progress when France begins Olympic play in London on Sunday, July
29, against the United States.