Diaw: ''It's always great to play these games in your country, surrounded by the fans, family and friends''

PARIS (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - After fans file into the Kindarena in Rouen on November 27 to watch France take on Bosnia and Herzegovina in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers, they'll see one of their country's greatest ever players in Boris Diaw.

The 35-year-old captain has been in the program for so long that he played when international windows were used for EuroBasket 2003 Qualifiers. His first game for those was on January 23, 2002, at Poland. Diaw took part in his first EuroBasket the next year in Sweden.

Diaw swats Mindaugas Zukauskas of Lithuania at EuroBasket 2003

Diaw has clear memories of the EuroBasket Qualifiers.

"It's a different kind of mentality around these games," he said to FIBA.basketball. "There's a lot of pressure and you can't allow yourself to hold back. Every point and every win is important. That's what I remember."

That experience will come in handy for France in their World Cup Qualifiers Group E campaign at Belgium in Antwerp on Friday and then in Rouen against Bosnia and Herzegovina. France will also take on Russia in the First Round, but not until February.

Diaw knows there are no sure things in basketball. France are No.4 in the FIBA World Ranking Presented by Nike while Belgium are No. 31 and Bosnia and Herzegovina are No. 42.

"There will be no easy game," he warned. "All the teams from Group E are tough and it will be different with the absence of NBA and EuroLeague players. We will have to adapt fast and find our balance in a few days."

Diaw and France captured the EuroBasket 2013 title in Slovenia

While Diaw has never been consumed by the points he scores or by individual accolades, he's been made aware he's closing in on history, standing 18 caps shy of France's record number of 259 currently held by Herve Dubuisson.

"Right now I don't think about it (the record), I just keep playing as long as I'm helping the team," he said. "If one day I see that I'm slowing everybody down, then it will be time for me to stop."

"I CAN'T IMAGINE MY CAREER WITHOUT THE NATIONAL TEAM. REPRESENTING MY COUNTRY, TRAVELING, PLAYING BASKETBALL WITH FRIENDS AND TRYING TO WIN, THAT'S WHAT I DREAMED ABOUT SINCE I WAS A KID." DiawDiaw

Diaw does take an interest in the subject, however, when he injects his mother, Elisabeth Riffiod, into the conversation.

"Before Herve, there was my mom, with 247 caps," Diaw said. "That's pretty impressive, too!"

Riffiod represented the country for more than a decade and in 1970 was a key player for France when they were runners up to the Soviet Union at the EuroBasket Women in the Netherlands.

She transmitted, Diaw says, her devotion to France's national team program to her son.

"The French national team is very close to my heart," he said. "I guess I got that from my mom. I built some great friendships and have some great memories thanks to it.

"I can't imagine my career without the national team. Representing my country, traveling, playing basketball with friends and trying to win, that's what I dreamed about since I was a kid."

Diaw helped lead France to the EuroBasket 2011 Final in Kaunas and to the top of the podium two years later in Ljubljana, achievements that stand out for him.

"It helped us realize what we had been fighting for for 10 years, getting a title," he said. "It helped our confidence in our capacity to win games and to be consistent at the top level."

He has also suffered disappointments with France, like at EuroBasket 2003 when a narrow loss to Italy in the 3rd-Place Game prevented his team from reaching the Athens Olympics.

There were Quarter-Final exits at the hands of Spain at the last two Olympics. France fell to Germany in the Quarter-Finals of EuroBasket 2017 in Turkey.

Diaw has had more good times than bad, though, like at the last FIBA Basketball World Cup when they surprised nearly everyone by upsetting hosts Spain in the Quarter-Finals and later beat Lithuania to finished third.

The fact that Diaw can soon play again before French fans, as he did at EuroBasket 2015 in Montpellier and Lille, makes him giddy.

"It's always great to play these games in your country, surrounded by the fans, family and friends," he said. "We felt great support from everybody and could give that energy back to the fans."

Diaw, as always, remains crucial for France.

"Now that I'm old, I try to share my experience and how to approach those important games," he said. "I share with everybody but don't want also to overdo it. I try to lead by example."

FIBA