My 15 Year Journey with Boris Diaw

My 15 Year Journey
with Boris Diaw

by Doug Neustadt

NBA



BIG ENOUGH TO WIN

SMALL ENOUGH TO CARE

The relationship between a player and his agent is unique, yet familiar. An
agent must maintain a balance between friendship and professionalism. He must be
ready to direct and advise his client based on intuition honed by vast experience. He
must be there for his client in good times, and even more so, in bad ones.

For his part, the client must be loyal, and thwart advances from outside agencies and
influences. He must have such faith in the agent that he is willing to put his career in
the agent’s hands. Finally, the player must be willing to talk and listen, as the back
and forth between the agent and player is invaluable.

These words make the player-agent relationship sound like a marriage, and in
fact there are profound similarities. For 15 years, I have been married to my wife
Michelle. For our 15-year anniversary, I made a book in which we recounted our
favorite memories year-by-year. With this book, I decided to do something similar
with my most unique, successful, and challenging client, Boris Diaw.

There are a few self-imposed rules for the book. First, I selected only 14 milestone
events to discuss with Boris, when that number could easily be tripled. Second, I
limited the book to NBA-related events, leaving out other important parts of his
career such as the French National Team, and relevant off-court endeavors such as
those with Nike and National Geographic. Lastly, Boris and I had to talk about both
good and bad times. Through our quotes, we explain the journey of Boris Diaw and
Doug Neustadt.



CHOOSING THE AGENT

February, 2002

As a top prospect with great bloodlines – his mother
Élisabeth was an elite center for the French
national team, and his father Issa a champion high
jumper – Boris was courted by many agents. After several
interviews, in February, 2002, while still playing for Pau
in France, he agreed to be represented by Doug Neustadt.

During the fall of 2002, Chuck Douglas, the
Director of Scouting for the Washington
Wizards, sent me video of the French team Pau
Orthez, telling me to watch “the two Pietrus
brothers, Florent and Michael.” I watched 2 games and
was far more intrigued by this gangly teenager, number 13,
who seemed to have an certain grace and dignity that the
others lacked. I called Chuck back and asked about number
13.

A couple of months later, I arranged a meeting in Pau with
Boris, his mother, and a guy from the French Federation
whom I knew. I was way behind because Boris had been
in touch with Tony Parker’s agent, Marc Fleisher, for
some time. We had a great meeting, then another in San
Antonio when Boris was visiting Tony, and then another
one in Pau. Boris liked my plan, my focus, my vision,
and, most importantly I think, my honesty. Fortunately,
he saw his future with me and not with Marc, which I
reflect on quite a bit when good and bad moments arise.

“IT FELT LIKE THE The important thing for me at the time was
PERFECT FIT.” picking the best agent for me. I had already
met with Marc Fleisher, who was with a big
company and was recommended by Tony.
Even though my best friend already had an agent and made
the introduction, I didn’t think he was right fit for me. I
thought the agents from a big company were more like
sharks. I wanted a more personal relationship with my
agent as well as a business relationship, and I felt a
connection to Doug when we started talking. The way he
was talking about representing and working for me, it felt
like the perfect fit.

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BEING DRAFTED

June 26, 2003

After submitting, and then withdrawing, his name
from both the 2001 and 2002 Drafts, Boris stayed
in the Draft for good in 2003. Since his French
team played deep into the Pro A Playoffs, he was unable
to attend individual workouts, the pre-Draft Combine, or
the Draft itself. However, he ended up being selected 21st
by the Hawks. 2 days later, he would win his 2nd Pro A
championship, capping the biggest month of his career to
that point.

We knew Boris was going to end up in either “IT WAS 2:00 AM IN FRANCE
Atlanta or Dallas. Early in the Draft process, WHEN I WAS DRAFTED BY
Phoenix at 17 and Utah at 19 showed big ATLANTA, AND WE WERE IN
interest but as we got closer to the Draft I felt
those teams were looking at other players and Boris was a THE MIDDLE OF THE FINALS
backup plan. The Draft for Boris really started with Atlanta IN BETWEEN GAMES.”
at 21. They told me they were drafting either Boris or Josh
Howard with that pick. Dallas, at 29, had Boris at the top
of their draft board. I loved Dallas and told them they had
to trade above Atlanta in order to Draft him. They were
unable to trade up and Atlanta selected Boris with pick 21.
Ironically, Dallas ended up with Josh Howard, the guy
Atlanta chose not to take.

I do remember being it between me and Josh
Howard for Dallas, and San Antonio and
Utah liked me as well, which is pretty ironic
looking back. It was 2:00 AM in France when
I was drafted by Atlanta, and we were in the middle of
the finals in between games. Within 24 hours I was drafted
and played in the championship, not the typical draft night
experience. I stayed up late after and celebrated with all
my friends. It was very exciting; I was happy to be drafted
in my position.

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THE TRADE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

August 19, 2005 Even though Boris played over 20 minutes per game
during the first 2 seasons of his NBA career with the
Hawks, he was not reaching his potential in Atlanta:
the team struggled to win games, and his relationship with
his head coach was poor. A change of scenery was in order,
and that, along with Atlanta’s desire to acquire the Phoenix
Suns’ Joe Johnson, led to the trade that would change the
course of Boris’s career.

We knew getting traded was a possibility
because Boris and Atlanta’s new coach did not
click. I had been in touch with Brian Colangelo
and David Griffin of the Suns because of their
difficulty in re-signing Joe Johnson, coupled with their pre-
existing interest in Boris. Phoenix was such a desired spot
because of Steve Nash, Mike D’Antoni, and the overall
team culture. I felt it was the perfect situation for Boris to
bloom at this point in his career.

It was a Saturday night and I was in the car with my wife
driving to a nice Italian place in D.C. My phone rang, and
I saw “Bryan Colangelo” on the screen. When a general
manager calls you on a Saturday night it means your player
got traded, injured, or is in trouble. I answered the phone
and literally said “THANK YOU” before Bryan even
spoke. Bryan laughed and gave me the details of trade.

“I KNEW THIS WAS THE Atlanta made a coaching change, and I wasn’t
PERFECT OPPORTUNITY a good fit in their new system, so I expressed
FOR A BREAKOUT SEASON.” my concern to the general manager. I was in
Africa at the time on vacation, and didn’t have
any cell phone reception. I had to climb up a tree just to get
a signal, and once I had reception a ton of messages were
coming in. I remember having a few voicemails from Doug
as well. The first text I read was from Tony Parker’s brother,
who said “Congratulations Boris, have fun in Arizona!” I
then immediately called Doug about the trade.

When I found out I was traded to Phoenix, I was really
excited because of their team-oriented style of basketball
led by Steve Nash. I knew that I would be the perfect fit in
coach Mike D’Antoni’s system. We both played in Europe
and shared the same basketball philosophy, so I knew this
was the perfect opportunity for a breakout season.

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THE GAME-WINNER

May 24, 2006

Boris’s breakout 2005-06 season continued into the
Western Conference Finals, where the Suns met the
60-win Dallas Mavericks. Playing on the road and
down a point with 4.8 seconds left in game 1, Boris knocked
down a turnaround jumper from just outside the paint for
the upset win. He scored 34 points overall that night, still
a career high. Though Phoenix would lose the series to the
heavily favored Mavs in 6 games, Boris’s game-winning
shot on such a big stage remains a highlight of his career.

It was my first time making the playoffs, so it
was a great experience for me. Dallas’s rule on
defense was not to let the shooters get the ball.
When we drew the play up, I was supposed to
make a backdoor pass to Steve from the post for him to
take the shot, but they had seen that play before. So when
we were ready to in-bound the ball, I hear Dallas’s coach
calling our play out. We executed the play anyway, but
Steve was covered very tightly, so I had no other choice but
to shoot the ball. The rest is history.

I planned to go to Game 3 in Phoenix but I “I HAD NO OTHER CHOICE
wish I went to this game instead. I was in my BUT TO SHOOT THE BALL.
house watching and since it was a West Coast
game it ended around 1:00 AM. Boris pump THE REST IS HISTORY.”
faked Jerry Stackhouse and went over him baseline to hit
the winning shot. As happy as I was, my wife was very
angry because I uncontrollably screamed and woke up my
2 year old son. When I spoke with Boris after I couldn’t
believe how calm he was. The next day, ESPN’s website
had Boris on the front with the tagline “How? DIAW.” I
think this game was the true moment Boris Diaw arrived in
the NBA.

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CONTRACT EXTENSION WITH THE SUNS

October 20, 2006

After his 3rd season in the NBA (1st with the Suns),
Boris became eligible for an extension to his rookie
contract of up to 5 seasons. Recently named the
2005-06 Most Improved Player in the League and coming
off of an 18.7 PPG Playoff campaign, he had earned a rich
reward for his performance. However, the Suns already had
maximum salary players Steve Nash, Amar’e Stoudemire,
and Shawn Marion under long-term contracts, and salary
cap constraints led to a heated (literally, as it turns out)
negotiation.

Our first meeting to discuss the extension was

in mid-June, a week or so after the season. I

was scheduled to meet owner Robert Sarver,

Coach Mike D’Antoni and the new general

manager, David Griffin (Bryan has left for Toronto) around

5:00 PM in the team offices downtown. Boris and I went

through some things at his house and he drove me down to

the arena for the meeting. We are about halfway there,

stopped at a red light, when I hear Boris say “UH OH!”

We had run out of gas. I am in a suit and it is summer time

in Phoenix, not a good combination for comfort. It must

have been 115 degrees and for 45 minutes we waited until

someone brought us gas. When I walked into the meeting

Robert, Mike and Dave looked at me and laughed as I was

red in the face, drenched in sweat, and an hour late. 4

months later we signed a 5-year $45 million dollar

extension, which for 2006 was quite lucrative. And yes, I Being late clearly didn’t matter since we

did blame Boris for being late to his first contract negotiation agreed to a deal right?!

with the boss! I remember after we lost to Dallas in the

Conference Finals, Mike D’Antoni told me after the game

“I WOULD SAY SIGNING that they will take care of me with a new contract before
the next season. He said we definitely need you and you

MY FIRST LONG-TERM are an important part of this team moving forward. I was
DEAL WAS THE DEFINING very happy to hear that, not only because I loved playing
in Phoenix, but that I had a long career ahead of me in

MOMENT OF MY CAREER.” the NBA. The average career is only 4 years, so I felt
very fortunate. I would say signing my first long-term

deal was the defining moment of my career.

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SUSPENSION FROM THE WESTERN
CONFERENCE FINALS

May 15, 2007

Led by Boris and their 3 All-Stars, the 2006-07
Suns won 61 regular season games, second most
in the League after the Mavericks. After the Mavs’
surprising first round exit to the Warriors, the stars seemed
to have aligned for a deep Suns Playoff run, but things
unraveled in the conference semifinals versus the Spurs.
In the final minute of game 4 of that series, San Antonio’s
Robert Horry shoved Phoenix’s Steve Nash into the scorer’s
table, causing an altercation that drew Boris and Amar’e
Stoudemire a few steps off the Suns bench. Though assistant
coaches stopped Boris and Amar’e before they could join
the fracas, the League interpreted its rule against leaving
the bench strictly, and the two players were suspended
from Game 5. Thereafter, the Suns lost game 5 at home,
and were closed out in 6 games in San Antonio 2 days later.

“IT WAS EXTREMELY
DISAPPOINTING AND

UNFAIR.”

This was a really tough incident to swallow It was such a cheap shot hit that Robert Horry
because I think the Suns’ 2007 team was made on Steve Nash. Horry just needed to foul
their best chance at a NBA title. The Suns Nash and send him to the free throw line, but
had home-court advantage with games 5 he decked him and Nash went flying into the
and 7 (if needed) in Phoenix. Most people think that scorer’s table. Nash had already suffered a blow to the
Boris, while skilled and knowledgeable, lacks a certain head in Game 1, so they were beating him up quite a bit.
aggressive nature. The fact that he was the one, along That was my teammate and our best player, so I was
with Amar’e, to act on instincts and leave the bench to obviously really pissed. I couldn’t control my anger and I
assist a teammate was contrary to people’s perception wanted to defend him, as did Amar’e. It was ludicrous that
of Boris. You don’t think of some nice French guy our actions led to a suspension from a very important Game
being suspended for Game 5 of the Western Conference 5, but unfortunately those are the rules. I really think our
Finals. Deep down, he is one of the most competitive team would have won the series and eventually the NBA
people I have ever met. I knew he felt like he let his Finals that season if we weren’t suspended. It was extremely
team down because of the rule he broke. The only disappointing and unfair.
thing I said to him after the announcement of his
suspension was, “I am proud that you care so much.”

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BEING TRADED TO CHARLOTTE

December 10, 2008

By the early part of the 2008-09 season, the Suns’
new head coach Terry Porter had moved Boris into
a bench role, where he was struggling to make a
major impact in 24.5 MPG. Seizing on an opportunity
to acquire high-scoring wing Jason Richardson, the Suns
traded Boris to the Charlotte Bobcats. Under Hall of Fame
head coach Larry Brown, in Charlotte Boris returned to
the starting lineup, averaging a career-high 15.1 PPG in
08-09, and then leading the Bobcats to a franchise first
playoff appearance the next season.

Things were not going well for Boris during
the start of the 2008-09 season. His minutes
and numbers dipped significantly from the two
prior years, and more importantly, he seemed
not to gel completely within the team system. I think the
overwhelming reason for this was the departure of Coach
D’Antoni to the Knicks. Boris was now dealing with head
coach Terry Porter, who had more of a defensive-minded,
old-school mentality than the free-thinking, creative
D’Antoni.

When I got the call from new GM Steve Kerr I was I had a feeling my time in Phoenix was
surprised in the moment; however, given the direction that soon coming to an end when D’Antoni left.
the team was moving under Terry Porter, I was not caught I wasn’t having as much fun playing under
off-guard. The one thing Steve said to me that I will never Terry Porter; it felt very different. Like the
forget was that Larry Brown, the head coach of Charlotte, coaching change in Atlanta, I wasn’t comfortable in the
really wanted to coach Boris. To this day, if you ask Boris new system since it didn’t fit my skillset. I really
who his favorite coach is, he will answer Larry Brown. enjoyed my time in Phoenix. Not just having the
opportunity to break out as a player and win Most
“I REALLY LIKED THE Improved Player of the Year Award, but the team
SITUATION IN CHARLOTTE.” chemistry and camaraderie off the court. But I felt like
I could be in a better position since Phoenix was not
like what it used to be.

When I arrived in Charlotte, I fell in love with the city
and thought I could play the rest of my career there. I
really liked the situation, the team, and the opportunity
to play for Larry Brown whom I developed a great
relationship with.

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THE LOW POINT

Beginning of the 2011-12 Season

C oach Brown resigned from
the Bobcats in December,
2010, and was replaced by
Paul Silas, signaling the beginning
of the end of Boris’s run there. After
the NBA lockout ended the following
December, Boris returned to
Charlotte in less than peak physical
condition, and though he was still
playing reasonably well, was moved
from the starting lineup to the bench
unit, and then eventually was not
playing at all, a first in his career.
With the team playing terribly (7 wins
all season), Boris found himself in an
awful situation.

“I NEEDED ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY WHERE I WOULD ENJOY
PLAYING BASKETBALL AGAIN.”

I hate to say this, but sometimes a player has The constant losing in Charlotte was starting

to hit rock bottom in order to learn a lesson. to take a major toll on me, and it became even

This happened with Boris. Being the odd worse when I was benched by Paul Silas. I

man out on one of the worst teams in NBA knew I should be in a better situation, but

history was catastrophic for his upcoming free agency everything was out of my control, and I had to accept that.

after the season. I called Boris and told him that I will Not being able to contribute to the worst team in the league

meet him in Philadelphia before his next game, and to be was the lowest point in my NBA career. I needed another

prepared for a very hard conversation. We had what I opportunity where I would enjoy playing basketball again.

called a “come to Jesus” talk, when for two hours we Money became secondary to me; it was about finding the

spoke honestly about what happened and what needs to best situation to resurrect my career.

be done to climb out of the hole. I even used the old

adage from the movie Jerry Maguire, “help me, help you.”

I drove back to D.C. after the meeting and thought about

the long road ahead. To this day, it was the most difficult

but most important conversation I ever had with Boris.

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MOVING TO SAN ANTONIO

March 23, 2012

Once the 2012 trade deadline passed in February, the
only way that Boris could move on from Charlotte
that season was to consent to a buyout, in which a
player agrees to terminate his contract early in exchange
for free agency, typically giving up some guaranteed money
in the process. With Boris set to become a free agent that
summer, and the Bobcats going nowhere as a team, the
table was set, and on March 21st, the parties agreed on
such a buyout. Boris was now a free agent 4 months earlier
than expected, and several teams lined up to sign him.

San Antonio, Boston, Minnesota, Golden
State, and Chicago all wanted Boris’s services
for the remainder of the season. Our goal was
to find a place, not just to salvage his season,
but a place where there was a possibility to re-sign and
have a long-term future. The choice came down to San
Antonio and Boston. I had been speaking with Spurs GM
RC Buford for several months but Boston, through GM
Danny Ainge, really made a convincing argument once
Boris was bought out. Boris spoke with Gregg Popovich,
Tony Parker, and Tim Duncan of the Spurs, and Doc Rivers,
Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett for the Celtics. The moment
to decide had arrived.

I remember I was at the airport in D.C., and I had a flight Boston had a lot of injuries at the time, so
around 4:00. I knew my conversations with Boris were there were a lot of open minutes for me.
going to take a while so I postponed my flight for a few This was very important considering I was
hours so we could properly discuss the situation. We had to in a contract year and I needed to prove my
make a decision quickly, because there is a strict deadline value to the league once again. No matter where I
to join a team in order to be eligible for the Playoffs. We signed, however, I would have to earn my minutes, and
knew that whatever we decided, our journey will take on a I felt like San Antonio was more suitable for me which
new, hopefully better, path. This was the most important is why I decided to sigh with them. The opportunity to
decision in Boris’s career, and together we nailed it. play for Gregg Popovich and alongside Tony Parker,
Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili was too good to pass
“THIS WAS THE MOST up.

IMPORTANT DECISION IN In the summer, it was a no-brainer re-signing with
the Spurs. I didn’t want to go back to losing, and I was
BORIS’S CAREER, AND fitting in really well as a role player on a championship
contending team.
TOGETHER WE NAILED IT.”

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LOSING GAME 7 TO MIAMI

June 20, 2013

T he Spurs and the Heat matched up in an all-time
great NBA Finals in 2013. After letting game 6 slip
from their grasp, the Spurs lost in a close game 7,
and the title was the Heat’s. Below, Doug and Boris discuss
the aftermath of that game 7, and how it influenced San
Antonio’s domination versus Miami 12 months later.

I went to Game 3 in San Antonio, which the
Spurs won to go up 2 games to 1. Boris and I
celebrated afterwards buy going to some exotic
Mexican restaurant only Boris knew existed.
Game 6 was so heartbreaking that I did not realistically
think a team could recover emotionally in time for Game
7. I spoke with Boris the next morning and told him, I am
on my way so hold a ticket for me. After the Game 7 loss,
the Spurs rented out an Italian restaurant for all the players
and family to heal their wounds. Under the circumstances,
I thought everyone was holding it together quite well. We
ate, and drank of course, and then Tony said something to
Boris about “next season.” It gave me this thought in my
head like these guys have unfinished business to take care
of. There is still a burning desire to win. Tim Duncan was
the only player not at the dinner party.

“IT GAVE US EXTRA It was an amazing experience being able to
MOTIVATION AS A TEAM, play in the Finals for the first time in my career,
AND FOR ME PERSONALLY, but it felt horrible to lose, especially since we
TO COME BACK STRONGER.” were so close. Of course there was a lot of
frustration and disappointment, but it gave us extra
motivation as a team, and for me personally, to come back
stronger next year and win. We were expecting to play
Miami in the Finals again, so we were out for revenge.

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WINNING THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 15, 2014

Boris and the Spurs put on a clinic in the 2014 Finals,
and Boris was in top form, averaging 6.2 PPG/8.6
RPG/5.8 APG. He even moved into the starting
lineup for the final 3 games of that series, when the Spurs
outscored the Heat by 19 points per game. Finally, Boris
was an NBA champion, closing out an incredible 2013-14
season that began with winning a gold medal for France in
the 2013 European Championships in Slovenia.

I went to Game 3 in Miami, not knowing what The loss to Miami the previous year really
to expect because the series was tied at 1-1. I brought us together as a team. There was
remember walking into the arena and saying to no way we were going to lose to Miami a
myself, “I have a very demanding job in a second time. Our entire team came ready to
tough industry and I swim amongst a pool of sharks, but play, and the coaching staff needed my help more so
these are the moments that make this job so rewarding, and than they did last year. My role increased because
need to be savored.” Boris told me at lunch before the Miami was trapping our point guards and we needed an
game that Tim Duncan established a mindset for the rest of extra playmaker out there. I made much more of an
the team to not lose another game and finish LeBron and impact in this series, so it felt really special that it came
the Heat out. I thought back to their devastating loss the during a NBA Finals victory. The moment we won
prior year, how Duncan, their unquestioned leader, could and I could celebrate with my teammates, even more
not bring himself to go to the dinner. As a team they came than the achievement itself, is my best memory. It was
together, and 1 year later they were determined not to repeat just perfect basketball with the perfect group of guys.
their mistake. Sure enough, the Spurs did not lose another
game. I was so proud to have a player win an NBA Just a few years ago I couldn’t get off the bench for
Championship while having such a big impact during the the worst team in the league. Now, I helped my team
Finals. The night they won was the happiest I was for Boris defeat the 2-time defending champions of the NBA led
since he hit the winning shot against Dallas in 2006. by the best player in the world Lebron James. It was an
incredible feeling.
“NOW, I HELPED MY TEAM

DEFEAT THE 2-TIME

DEFENDING CHAMPIONSHIPS

OF THE NBA.”

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SIGNING LONG-TERM WITH THE SPURS

July 6, 2014

Once the championship celebrations had ended,
Boris was again a free agent. While he and the
Spurs both badly wanted to continue together, Boris
needed to explore the market before San Antonio rewarded
him with a long-term deal.

“THERE WAS NO OTHER The 2014 Finals ended in mid-June and free
PLACE I WANTED TO BE.” agent negotiations were to start July 1. I was
prepared but did not want to discuss details
with Boris during the Finals, so I had a small
window after they won and before he went to France. After
the San Antonio championship parade, Boris went straight
to New Orleans where a movie he had invested in was
being filmed. I go where the clients go, so I went to watch
his movie being filmed and discuss free agent strategy with
him. There were many hurdles that we had to overcome:
people assumed Boris would automatically re-sign with
San Antonio; the Spurs notoriously got their players to re-
sign with them on team-friendly terms, LeBron was a free
agent which stagnated much of the market; and, unlike the
summer of 2016, there were few teams with big cap space
the summer of 2014. Despite these challenges, Boris
signed a new 4-year, $32 million deal at age 32. Most
importantly, he was back in the place he wanted, and
needed, to be.

There was no other place I wanted to be. We
had just won the championship, and I became
a very important role player for the team.
Players always look forward to free agency to
see what else is out there, but I knew there was no better
situation than returning to San Antonio. I didn’t want to
chase the money and then be back in a situation where I
didn’t fit in with the team or coaching staff. I couldn’t wait
to re-sign and help defend our title. It was a very easy
decision, and entering the next season with a long-term
contract felt great.

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TRADE TO UTAH

July 8, 2016

After the Finals win in 2014, the Spurs won just 1
Playoff series combined over the next 2 seasons,
and with Tim Duncan retiring, San Antonio wanted
to be active in free agency in the summer of 2016. Given
his large salary, Boris was a prime candidate to be moved
to a different team for salary cap reasons.

I knew there was a good chance Boris was I didn’t want to leave San Antonio, either,
going to be traded last summer. GM R.C. but the NBA is a tough business; I
Buford told me if San Antonio needed cap understood the decision, and am very
space, he would be forced to trade Boris. Once thankful for my time in San Antonio. My
discussions got serious between San Antonio and Pau NBA future was in jeopardy before I arrived, and the
Gasol, it was the sign that Boris’s run with the Spurs was Spurs helped rejuvenate my career.
over. After Gasol committed to a deal, R.C. and I worked
together to find Boris a new home. Atlanta desperately Although the trade was disappointing, I was excited
wanted him, and we thought how ironic it would be to for my next chapter in Utah. Given everything that I
finish his career where it started. However, It was not have gone through during my 13-year career, I knew it
meant to be, as Atlanta did not have the cap space to absorb would be a good opportunity for me to serve as a role
Boris’s salary, and could not move Tiago Splitter to create model for a team filled with young talent.
the necessary room. Once Utah called, it made a lot of
sense: their GM, Dennis Lindsey, used to work for San
Antonio, and their coach was an assistant under Mike
Budenholzer, a long-time Gregg Popovich assistant and
now the coach of the Atlanta Hawks. Rarely do you see a
team trade a valuable player to a team within its conference,
but I believe the relationship that Boris and I had with the
Spurs organization played a large part in getting that done.
I did not want him to leave the Spurs; however, we had no
choice, and I take comfort in the fact that the trade process
and its end result were successful.

“I KNEW IT WOULD BE A
GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR ME
SERVE AS A ROLE MODEL.”

‘02 ‘03 ‘04 ‘05 CAREER TIMELINE •

‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘14 ‘15 ‘16



PRESENT DAY

W ith Spurs roots in their front office and coaching
staffs, the Jazz have the makings of a good fit for
Boris. Early on this season, he has averaged 19.8
MPG, in line with his role with San Antonio last season.
While it is too early to make any definitive assessments,
Boris still has the opportunity to make major contributions
to a winning team, both on and off the court.

“IT HAS BEEN ONE HELL OF It is not easy playing for the San Antonio Spurs
A JOURNEY.” for 4+ years and then adjusting to a new team
and new role. You are not throwing high-low
passes to Tim Duncan or running pick and roll
with Tony Parker. Boris must learn to adjust to his new
personnel. and realize they need him in a different way than
the Spurs did. For the final phase of his career, he will
enjoy being on a competitive team, have a role, and teach
the tricks of the trade to the next generation. If things go
well, I can see him playing his career out in the mountains
of Salt Lake City. If things go sour, Boris and I will figure
out the next move. Regardless, it has been one hell of a
journey.

While it’s been an adjustment, I am very happy
in my current role with the Utah Jazz. For the
first time in my career, I am in a real leadership
position, where I can mentor my young
teammates. In San Antonio, I was surrounded by other
veterans, so I am taking advantage of this opportunity. Too
many young players think they need to score the basketball
in order to make an impact. Being an unselfish teammate
and playing hard defense are what allow players to sustain
long NBA careers. I have been through plenty of ups and
downs during my 13-year NBA career, and I hope I can
share my experiences to make a positive impact on young
players entering the League.

‘02 ‘03 ‘04 ‘05 CAREER TIMELINE •

‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12 ‘13 ‘14 ‘15 ‘16

BD-TNG