Tacko Fall facts for kids
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Fall with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2021
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| No. 99 – New Zealand Breakers | |
|---|---|
| Center | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 10 December 1995 Dakar, Senegal |
| High school |
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| Listed height | 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) |
| Listed weight | 311 lb (141 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | UCF (2015–2019) |
| NBA Draft | 2019 / Undrafted |
| Pro career | 2019–present |
| League | NBL |
| Career history | |
| 2019–2021 | Boston Celtics |
| 2019–2020 | →Maine Red Claws |
| 2021–2022 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2021–2022 | →Cleveland Charge |
| 2022–2023 | Xinjiang Flying Tigers |
| 2023–2024 | Nanjing Monkey Kings |
| 2024–present | New Zealand Breakers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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El Hadji Tacko Sereigne Diop Fall (born December 10, 1995) is a professional basketball player from Senegal. He plays as a center for the New Zealand Breakers in Australia's NBL. Tacko Fall also played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Tacko was born and grew up in Dakar, Senegal. When he was 16, he moved to the United States. He later played college basketball for the University of Central Florida (UCF). Even though he was not picked in the 2019 NBA draft, he later joined the Boston Celtics. During his two years with the Celtics, fans really loved him. In 2021, he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Standing at 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 meters), Tacko Fall was one of the tallest players in the NBA. He is also one of the tallest living people. At the 2019 NBA Draft Combine, he set new NBA records. These records were for his height in shoes (7 feet 7 inches), his wingspan (8 feet 2.25 inches), and his standing reach (10 feet 2.5 inches).
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Early Life and Basketball Start
Tacko Fall was born and raised in Dakar, Senegal. In 2011, a basketball coach named Ibrahima N'Diaye heard about a very tall teenager. This teenager was playing basketball with friends in the street. N'Diaye found 15-year-old Tacko, who was already 7 feet 3 inches tall. He convinced Tacko's mother to let him join his basketball academy.
Tacko moved to the United States when he was 16. He first played organized basketball in Houston, Texas. There, he trained with NBA Hall-of-Famer Hakeem Olajuwon.
Tacko Fall was listed at 7 feet 6 inches tall in high school. This made him the tallest high school basketball player in the country. He played for Jamie's House Charter School and Liberty Christian Preparatory School.
Because of his amazing height and reach, many colleges wanted Tacko to play for them. He played for Jamie's House Charter School, where his team won the state championship. He also played in summer travel teams. As a senior in 2015, he averaged 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 5.1 blocks per game. About 40 different schools were interested in him. Tacko chose to play for the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando.
College Basketball Career
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Tacko Fall played college basketball for the University of Central Florida's Knights team as a center. He once played against another very tall Senegalese center, Mamadou N'Diaye. N'Diaye is also 7 feet 6 inches tall. This game was against the University of California Irvine. It was the tallest tip-off and match-up in U.S. college basketball history. Both players came from the same city, Dakar.
By his second year, Tacko became the tallest player in college basketball. He greatly improved his playing style. In 2017, Tacko Fall was named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Tacko became a very effective player. In January 2017, he was second in the country for his field-goal percentage. On April 5, 2017, Tacko said he would enter the 2017 NBA draft. However, he could still decide to return to UCF. On May 24, 2017, he chose to withdraw from the NBA draft and return to UCF for his junior year. During his junior year, Tacko hurt his shoulder. This meant he only played in 16 games.
In his senior season, Tacko helped the Knights reach the 2019 NCAA tournament. They won their first game in program history against Virginia Commonwealth University. In his last college game, Tacko scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds. His team lost a close game to Duke University, 77–76.
Professional Basketball Career
After college, Tacko Fall was invited to the NBA G League Elite Camp. He then moved on to the NBA Draft Combine. At the combine, he set new records for height, wingspan, and standing reach.
Boston Celtics (2019–2021)
Even though he was not drafted in the 2019 NBA draft, the Boston Celtics signed Tacko Fall on June 21, 2019. He played for the Celtics during the 2019 NBA Summer League. In his first game, he scored six points and had four rebounds. In his second game, he scored 12 points, his first time scoring double digits. He also blocked a shot in each of his first two games. Overall, in the Summer League, he averaged 7.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. He also shot a team-high 77 percent from the field.
On July 25, 2019, the Celtics officially signed Tacko. On October 13, 2019, they signed him to a two-way contract. This meant he would split his time between the Celtics and their G League team, the Maine Red Claws. Tacko made his NBA debut for the Celtics on October 26 against the New York Knicks. He played for four minutes, scoring four points and getting three rebounds. His first points came from a standing dunk.
In the G League, Tacko averaged 12.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per game for the Red Claws. He was also named to the All-Defensive Team, averaging almost three blocks per game.
On November 23, 2020, Tacko re-signed with the Boston Celtics on another two-way contract. This allowed him to play for both the Celtics and the Maine Red Claws in the 2020–21 season. On December 30, he played his first game of the season for the Celtics. He had two points, one rebound, and two blocks in a win against the Memphis Grizzlies. He led the Celtics in field goal percentage for the second season in a row.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2021–2022)
On September 27, 2021, Tacko Fall signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. On October 16, his contract was changed to a two-way deal with the Cleveland Charge, their G League team. On November 11, Tacko played his first game for the Charge. He scored a G League career-high 23 points, along with 12 rebounds and three blocks. On December 22, Tacko made his first NBA start against his old team, the Boston Celtics. He grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds and scored four points.
On January 9, 2022, the Cavaliers waived Tacko. He was then re-acquired by the Cleveland Charge on January 12, 2022.
Playing in China (2022–2024)
On August 24, 2022, Tacko Fall signed a one-year contract to play for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association.
He later joined the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2023 NBA Summer League. On August 17, 2023, Tacko signed with the Nanjing Monkey Kings, another team in China.
New Zealand Breakers (2024–Present)
In September 2024, Tacko Fall joined the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He signed a two-year contract with the Breakers on November 26, 2024.
Player Profile
Because of his height, Tacko Fall plays the center position. His shoe size is 22 (US). His wingspan is 8 feet 4 inches, and his standing reach is 10 feet 2 inches. Tacko can also jump 2 feet 2.5 inches high. His hands are 10.5 inches long and wide. Before the 2019 NBA draft, he was known as a great shot blocker.
Personal Life
Tacko Fall is a Muslim. He chose the jersey number 99 with the Celtics because it refers to the 99 names of Allah. He is not the only tall person in his family. His younger brother was 5 feet 9 inches tall at age 7. Two of his uncles are 6 feet 8 inches tall. However, Tacko's extreme height is still very unique even among them.
Tacko kept a 4.0 grade-point average (GPA) in high school. He took advanced math and science classes. He learned to speak English fluently in just eight months. He also scored very high on the SAT test. Tacko studied computer-science at UCF. He originally wanted to become an engineer for companies like Siemens or Microsoft.
Images for kids
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Fall at UCF in 2017
See also
In Spanish: Tacko Fall para niños
