Boris Diaw tells incredible story about arguing with Suns coach Terry Porter, then refusing to shoot

Jordan Greer

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Boris Diaw tells incredible story about arguing with Suns coach Terry Porter, then refusing to shoot image

Boris Diaw has set a high bar for being passive-aggressive toward your boss.

During an appearance on The Ringer's "Real Ones" podcast with Raja Bell and Logan Murdock, the longtime NBA forward shared a terrific story about how he responded to criticism from former Suns coach Terry Porter. Back in 2008, Diaw got into it with Porter after a game over his shot selection. Diaw argued that there was no reason to pass up wide open 3-pointers, but Porter disagreed with Diaw's assessment.

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That was all Diaw needed to hear. In the Suns' next game against the Timberwolves, Diaw simply refused to shoot.

"In my mind, it's like, OK, if you're going to tell me that's a bad shot, then I don't know what's a good shot and what's a bad shot," Diaw said. "So, I cannot make the decision anymore because you're taking that away from me. Because, for me, I'm a grown man supposed to be able to know or make the decision of what's a good shot and what's a bad shot.

"So, if you're going to tell me that, now I don't know what's a good shot, I don't know what's a bad shot anymore, so I'm not going to take a shot."

Diaw's game log from the 2008-09 season shows that he took at least three field goal attempts in every game in which he appeared except for the contest against Minnesota. On that night, he scored his only two points on free throws in nearly 22 minutes of action. Bell, who also played on that Phoenix team, called the performance a "phenomenal display."

"I was like, wide open for layups and stuff like that," Diaw said. "So yeah, I was a little bit of an a—hole. ... I did it once, you know, just to make a point. After that, it was like, OK, never mind. You can shoot. So yeah, it kind of worked a little bit."

Both Bell and Diaw were traded to Charlotte in December 2008, and Porter was fired in February 2009. Really shocking that things didn't work out in Phoenix!

Jordan Greer

Jordan Greer Photo

Jordan Greer has been with The Sporting News since 2015. He previously worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is a graduate of Westminster College and Syracuse University.