French international Boris Diaw of the Phoenix Suns won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award by receiving 80 first-place votes from a panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters.

After averaging 4.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and .435 shooting for the Atlanta Hawks in his first two NBA seasons, Diaw averaged career highs of 13.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists and .526 shooting for the Suns this year.

He recorded four triple-doubles and was one of only three players to average more than six rebounds and six assists a game.

Diaw tuned up for the 2005-2006 season by playing with the French national team last summer. He had a solid showing at EuroBasket 2005 in Serbia-Montenegro, where he averaged 13.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.0 spg and 1.3 blpg to help his country to the bronze medal.

David West of the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets was second in the voting and Serbia-Montenegrin native Nenad Krstic of the New  Jersey Nets finished third.