Is it the smirk? The subtle tip of the wine glass? Or maybe the cool, night backdrop of an undisclosed bistro?
Of course not. The intrigue of this picture is the subject himself: Boris Babacar Diaw-Riffiod a.k.a. “Bobo”.
If you think you know Boris, you really don’t. The man is as much an enigma on the court as he is off of it.
He has the body of a post-up player, but the finesse of a point guard.
He can shake-and-bake under the rim like Hakeem or hit a beautiful fade away like Dirk.
He can drive the lane and drop a dime like his childhood friend, Tony Parker, or hide and set himself up for an automatic three-point shot like his other countryman, Nicholas Batum.
His coach calls him ‘amorphous’ and his teammates claim he is an essential part of the game plan even when the stats don’t show it.
His game is as versatile as his personal interests: avid photographer, champion of empowering women & girls in Senegal through sport and business owner of a 100% organic cotton, fair trade clothing line.
However, when I saw this picture I had to say to myself, “who do you think you are, an international man of mystery?”
I can hear it now: “Come on Pop. I would expect you to at least start the bidding at 300 pounds.”
It wouldn’t be the first time that Boris didn’t take himself seriously in public. Spurs fans will recall Boris ‘frogging’ with teammates Patty Mills, Tiago Splitter, and Manu Ginobili. As corny as it was, the pose became a bit of a trend among fans.
I always thought ‘frogging’ was Boris’ quirky way of coping with the stress of being a player on the best team in the NBA. Now, I am thinking the man just likes to put his body in weird positions for the amusement of seeing others’ reactions.
You can see behind the smirk and the saucy eyes that he wants to laugh in anticipation of what Coach Pop’s response will be to his Instagram portrait. As we all know, the Spurs head coach makes it a point to know his players on a personal level. As we all know, said coach loves himself a glass of wine. And he told Boris to take the time off while the rest of the team sweated out in training camp. That sly look of confidence probably also comes with a healthy amount of fear.
I don’t know if Diaw’s choice of intoxicating libation is in fact wine, but it was a good choice of prop for Pop. Keep it kosher. Keep it classy. “No worries pop” is quite appropriate: what other alcohol provides the heart benefits he needs to run up and down the court?
“Only one glass of wine” is absolutely reasonable and recommended by the Royal College of Physicians.
“And daily workouts!” only underscores that the glass of wine invigorates Boris’ desire to keep up with the offseason training.
For all you who like to jive about Boris’ appetite, I believe that the featured wine was a nice, expensive glass from a vintage reserve of a very good year. The Boris I see above is half-relaxing and half-celebrating – a well-deserved reward for his epic 2014 Finals performance.
Manu is routinely given the “X-factor” nod for the team, but all of us who watched the championship games witnessed Boris being the one thing the Miami LeBrons had no answer to.
Cheers to you, Boris. You deserve to feel like an MVP.
So as an MVP, he rests in Europe and waits for his team to arrive in Berlin for their first practice game on October 8th. How many guesses that he is clubbing in Ibiza? Or maybe relaxing on some remote Greek island? Or drinking with his buddies in a French apartment and simply Photoshopped the exotic background?
With Boris, you never can tell. What I can gather from the scene is that it’s night time. If he is in Europe, then it is late night time. So is that the Easter egg Coach Pop is supposed to notice as a way of saying, ‘I am enjoying every bit of this extra freedom you gave me because I know you are going to squeeze every last bit of effort I have for the next 9 months’?
Don’t be deceived by the white hair peppered on the sides of his face. Boris has a jovial attitude that suggests a “forever young” mentality. He isn’t afraid of taking a picture of himself kissing your fiancée on a lake boat. He isn’t stubborn and set in his ways when he plays with his teammates. He is all about the selfie and his nickname is adorably “Bobo”. Whatever Boris is doing at any given time, I am sure every one of his fans would want to be there, too.
Is this my favorite Boris selfie? Quite possibly.
Do I think Pop is gonna let him hear it when they get together in Germany? Most likely.
Does this represent the unique relationship Popovich has with this players? You betcha.
Why have so many called this Instagram feed ‘the perfect response’? I think it’s because it humanizes a basketball player we all thought we understood. It’s the ‘come on, man’ statement you tell your buddies when they exaggerate about you in jest. It’s the ‘this one’s for the fans’ pose that a star puts out there when he’s feeling his self-confidence at an all-time high. Most importantly it is the most Boris-y of pictures I have seen to date: a cool, calm and collected response to a harsh remark about his weight that went public.
Bravo, Boris! You won the internet with this photo. And you demonstrated a universal truth about social media: the best way to respond to a troll is to beat him at his own game.
