Moussa Diabaté of Charlotte Hornets Wins NBA Hustle Award for 2026

Charlotte Hornets’ Moussa Diabaté named 2026 NBA Hustle Award winner for standout defensive contributions.

Award Selection Method The NBA Hustle Award does not rely on fan or media voting. Instead, a statistical ranking system evaluates players across nine different metrics. These include offensive box outs, defensive box outs, screen assists, contested 2-pointers, contested 3-pointers, offensive loose balls recovered, defensive loose balls recovered, deflections and charges taken. ## Diabaté's Top Performance Moussa Diabaté of the Charlotte Hornets was named the winner of the NBA's Hustle Award for this season. He ranked among the top 11 leaguewide in six of the nine statistical categories used for the award. Additionally, he achieved personal bests in multiple statistical areas, including points per game at 7.9, rebounds per game at 8.7 and assists per game at 1.9. ## Standout Competitors Atlanta's Dyson Daniels finished in second place for the Hustle Award. The Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green, last season's winner, placed third. Memphis' Cedric Coward came in fourth, while New York's Josh Hart secured fifth position. This marked the tenth consecutive season the Hustle Award has been presented.