Charlotte Hornets center Moussa Diabate on Tuesday addressed the fight that broke out the previous evening between his team and the Detroit Pistons.
Diabate apologized to both the organization and Hornets fans following Monday’s events at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. He admitted that Pistons center Jalen Duren set him off simply by putting hands on his face.
“When he put his hand on my face, that’s where I kind of lost control of it,” Diabate admitted.
Moussa Diabate on last night's incident and what set him off. He opened up by saying how he was remorseful and apologized to the organization and the fans. pic.twitter.com/vphzZ0LjhH
— Rod Boone (@rodboone) February 10, 2026
Diabate was livid after the initial incident and had to be held back multiple times from going after Duren (video here). He was still riled up several minutes after the incident had cooled down when he was led to the locker room after being ejected from the game.
The incident between Diabate and Duren sparked a wider brawl that led to Isaiah Stewart coming off the bench to throw punches at Charlotte’s Miles Bridges. The NBA is likely to come down hard on everyone involved, but Diabate in particular could be in for some significant punishment due to his role in escalating the situation.
