Tacko Fall

Elhadji Tacko Sereigne Diop Fall (born 10 December 1995) is a Senegalese professional basketball player for the Piratas de Quebradillas of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional.

He has previously played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Fall was born and raised in Dakar, Senegal.

He moved to the United States at age 16 and later played college basketball for the University of Central Florida (UCF).

In 2011, Senegalese basketball coach Ibrahima N'Diaye, the brother of former NBA player Mamadou N'Diaye, heard from a friend about an exceptionally tall teenager he had seen playing with friends in a local street.

After identifying him, they visited the 15-year-old Fall—who already stood 7ft 3in tall—at his home and persuaded Fall's mother, Marianne Diop Sene, to allow Fall to start attending N'Diaye's basketball academy.

Fall moved to the United States at age 16.

He first played organized basketball in Houston, Texas, and trained with NBA Hall-of-Famer Hakeem Olajuwon.

Fall was listed as 7ft 6in and was purportedly still growing around his senior year, making him the tallest high-school basketball player in the country while he played for Jamie's House Charter and Liberty Christian Prep.

Due to his height and reach, Fall was one of the most highly scouted high-school basketball centers in the nation.

Fall first played for Jamie's House Charter School in Houston, where his team won the state championship.

Rated as a four-star and three-star recruit in the 2015 high-school class, nearly 40 different schools expressing interest in him, Fall committed to the University of Central Florida in Orlando, who officially signed him on 28 October 2014.

He played with the UCF Knights under head coach Donnie Jones.

Fall played college basketball at University of Central Florida for Knights as a center.

He faced fellow giant Senegalese center Mamadou N'Diaye (unrelated to the former NBA player of the same name), who stands at 7ft 6in, in the tallest tip-off and match-up in U.S. college basketball history in a game against University of California Irvine.

Both men come from the same city, Dakar.

Fall played with ISTI all-stars summer travel team and for Each 1 Teach 1 on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit where he played alongside fellow class of 2015 recruits Antonio Blakeney and Ben Simmons.

Fall also played in several NCAA certified events, including the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Virginia.

He then attended Liberty Christian Preparatory School in Tavares, Florida.

As a senior in 2015, Fall averaged 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 5.1 blocks per game.

By his sophomore year, after N'Diaye declared for the 2016 NBA draft, Fall became the tallest player in college basketball.

During his sophomore season, Fall would make considerable improvements in his playing style.

In 2017, Fall was named American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Fall grew to be an efficient player, ranking second nationally in field-goal percentage as of January 2017.

On 5 April 2017, Fall declared for the 2017 NBA draft, with the possibility of returning to Central Florida still available to him before the end of the draft lottery that year.

On 24 May 2017, Fall withdrew his name from consideration for the NBA draft, to return to UCF for his junior year.

During his junior year, Fall injured his shoulder, causing him to play in only 16 games, totaling 351 minutes.

Coming into his senior season, Fall was named to the Preseason Second Team All-AAC.

Fall went undrafted in the 2019 NBA draft, but later signed with the Boston Celtics.

During his two seasons in Boston, he became a fan favorite.

He signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers as a free agent in 2021.

At 7 ft, Fall was one of the tallest NBA players and is one of the tallest living humans.

At the 2019 NBA Draft Combine, his measurements set all-time NBA records for tallest height in shoes (7 ft), longest wingspan (8 ft), and highest standing reach (10 ft).

The NBA now lists players' heights without shoes, so Fall is listed at 7ft 6in.

Fall was born and raised in Dakar, Senegal.

During his senior season, Fall helped lead the Knights to the 2019 NCAA tournament and secured their first victory in program history with a win over Virginia Commonwealth University.

In his final game, Fall recorded 15 points and six rebounds in a losing effort against Duke University 77–76.

After the conclusion of his senior year, Fall was named one of 80 participants (40 representing the NBA draft hopefuls) for the NBA G League Elite Camp on May 12–14.

By the end of the event, Fall later got transferred into the NBA Draft Combine as one of an additional 11 participants there.

During the combine, he put up new records at the event, including height (which received comparisons to former NBA player Manute Bol), wingspan, and standing reach.