An insurance issue could keep Suns forward Boris Diaw from playing for France in the upcoming European Championships.

The French newspaper L?Equipe reported Monday that the Suns will not allow Diaw, who signed a $45 million extension with Phoenix last summer, to practice or play for France unless the national team obtains a specific insurance policy that would absolve the Suns of paying the contract in the event of injury. That information was confirmed by an NBA source.

Such a policy, which would likely cost in excess of $100,000, would specifically cover Diaw?s troublesome back problems, which cost him nine games last season and bothered him over much of the second half of the season.

The French apparently believed the Suns wouldn?t stand in the way of their national team captain playing for his country even without the insurance, but Phoenix made its intentions clear during a recent conversation. And Diaw was absent from the initial team workout.