Hornets' Moussa Diabate Wins 2025-26 NBA Hustle Award over Draymond Green, Dyson Daniels

Charlote Hornets center Moussa Diabaté received the NBA's Hustle Award for the 2025-26 season on Thursday.

The Atlanta Hawks' Dyson Daniels, Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green, Memphis Grizzlies' Cedric Coward and New York Knicks' Josh Hart rounded out the runners-up.

Diabaté averaged 7.9 points and 8.7 rebounds in 26.0 minutes per game for Charlotte, which won 44 games and reached the play-in tournament.

The Hustle Award is self-explanatory in that it celebrates a player whose contributions aren't fully reflected in traditional stat lines.

The league attempts to quantify those attributes through its Hustle stats. Categories include screen assists, loose balls recovered, deflections and contested shots.

Patrick Beverley was the inaugural winner of this honor in 2016-17. Marcus Smart is the only multi-time recipient, earning the honor on three occasions.

NBA.com's Brian Martin highlighted how Diabaté ranked in the top five in offensive box outs and screen assists. He was also eighth in offensive loose balls recovered and 10th in two-point contests.

"His combination of energy, effort, selflessness, grit and hustle made him a pivotal piece of the Hornets' 25-win improvement from last season and a key pillar of their foundation for the future," Martin said.

The Atlanta Hawks' Dyson Daniels and Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green were the next two players in the Hustle Award rankings.