By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The 35-year-old captain of the French NT is ready to face on new challenges with the team.
“It’s a different kind of mentality around these games,” he said to FIBA. “There’s a lot of pressure and you can’t allow yourself to hold back. Every point and every win is important. That’s what I remember.”
Diaw is just 18 caps behind France’s record number of 259, currently held by Herve Dubuisson.
“Right now I don’t think about it (the record), I just keep playing as long as I’m helping the team. If one day I see that I’m slowing everybody down, then it will be time for me to stop. Before Herve, there was my mom, with 247 caps,” Diaw added.
“The French national team is very close to my heart,” he admitted. “I guess I got that from my mom. I built some great friendships and have some great memories thanks to it. I can’t imagine my career without the national team. Representing my country, traveling, playing basketball with friends and trying to win, that’s what I dreamed about since I was a kid.”