Tacko Fall is heading back toward the NBA, and the 7-foot-6 center is treating the chance like it might not come around again.
Fall has signed a training camp deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, putting him back in the league mix for the first time in five years after stints overseas. He told Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson that he will not "waste" this opportunity.
The move sends Fall to a Philadelphia roster with championship goals and a need for size behind Joel Embiid, who has frequently missed time. For now, Adem Bona and former New York Knick Ariel Hukporti are the other names in that center rotation, but Fall will get a shot to prove he belongs if he can stand out in camp.
Philadelphia is Fall’s third Eastern Conference stop. He began his NBA career with the Boston Celtics after going undrafted, then later spent time with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
His most recent NBA action came in the final stretch of the 2021 season, when he appeared in 11 games for Cleveland. Across two seasons with Boston, he played in 26 games.
Since leaving the league, Fall has kept his career going in the Australian NBL and the Chinese Basketball Association while pushing for another NBA opportunity. Even away from the NBA stage, his calling card has stayed the same: efficient scoring around the rim and real presence as a shot blocker.
That reputation was already built at UCF, where Fall became one of the most recognizable players in program history. He remains the NCAA’s career field goal percentage leader at 74%, and he still owns UCF’s all-time shot-blocking mark with 280 blocks.
His senior season in 2018-2019 was packed with big numbers, and it earned him third-team honors in the conference. Against Southern Methodist, Fall delivered the only 20-point, 20-rebound game in UCF history, finishing with 23 points and 20 rebounds.
Fall’s old UCF teams helped define the program’s success before the move to the Big 12, alongside players like first-round draft pick Taylor Hendricks and four-year point guard Darius Johnson. But Fall has remained the headliner of that era, and now he gets another chance to make his mark in the NBA.
He also enters camp with a personal connection to one of Philadelphia’s biggest additions. Fall has been a fan of Jaylen Brown for some time, and in 2022 he said Brown was being disrespected around the league. He called Brown a "great player," who doesn’t always get the praise he deserves, and praised him for tuning out the noise.
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