Last Updated on July 23, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Tacko Fall drew worldwide attention because of his extraordinary height, but his game also featured strong rim protection and soft finishing around the basket. Fans quickly embraced him for his humble personality and perseverance as he worked to carve out opportunities at the NBA level.

Here’s a detailed profile for Tacko Fall:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Elhadji Tacko Sereigne Diop Fall. (landofbasketball.com)
  • Nickname: Tacko.
  • Nationality: Senegalese.
  • Date of Birth: December 10, 1995.
  • Hometown: Dakar, Senegal.
  • Height: 7’6″ (NBA listed height without shoes).
  • Weight: 311 lbs.
  • Wingspan: 8’2.25″ at the 2019 NBA Draft Combine.
  • Shoe Size: US 22. (Facebook)
  • Jersey Number: No. 24 (UCF Knights); No. 99 (Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, New Zealand Breakers, Ningbo Rockets). He also wore No. 55 during 2019 NBA Summer League before switching to No. 99 with Boston. (ucfknights.com)
  • Position: Center.
  • High School: Jamie’s House Charter School (Houston, Texas) and Liberty Christian Prep (Tavares, Florida). (Wikipedia)
  • College: UCF (University of Central Florida), 2015–2019. (ucfknights.com)
  • NBA Draft: Undrafted in 2019.
  • Teams Played For:
    • UCF Knights (2015–2019).
    • Boston Celtics (2019–2021).
    • Maine Red Claws (2019–2020).
    • Cleveland Cavaliers (2021–2022).
    • Cleveland Charge (2021–2022).
    • Xinjiang Flying Tigers (2022–2023).
    • Nanjing Monkey Kings (2023–2024, 2025).
    • New Zealand Breakers (2024–2025).
    • Ningbo Rockets (2025–present).
  • Championship Rings: None documented in the NBA or NCAA.
  • Children: No publicly confirmed children.
  • Siblings: No reliable public source.

Player Archetype / Play Style

Tacko Fall was an old-school rim-running, paint-anchoring center whose game revolved around size, reach, and interior efficiency more than perimeter skill or self-created offense. Defensively, his role was obvious: protect the rim, alter shots, own vertical space, and make life difficult for anyone trying to finish inside. Offensively, he worked as a low-post target, lob finisher, dunker-spot big, and offensive rebound threat rather than a hub creator, with most of his value coming from high-percentage looks near the basket. Physically, he was one of the most unusual players the sport has seen, standing 7-foot-6 with a record-setting 8-foot-2.25 wingspan and massive standing reach, which naturally shaped everything about how he played. In full, his style was simple but effective when used correctly: a towering specialist who changed the geometry of the floor, punished teams around the rim, and gave lineups a true back-line shot-blocking presence. (NBA)

Scouting Report

Tacko Fall forces you to rethink how offenses attack the paint because his value begins before he even blocks a shot. The first thing you notice is how many drives simply disappear once ball handlers see him waiting near the rim. He doesn’t have to chase plays all over the floor to influence them. His game is built on occupying space, staying disciplined in drop coverage, and using extraordinary length to erase passing angles that most centers can’t even contest. When opponents challenge him anyway, he prefers to stay vertical rather than swipe down, turning what looks like an open layup into a release point that’s several feet higher than expected. Offensively, his role is intentionally narrow, but within that role he’s effective. He sets massive screens that create genuine separation, rolls directly to the front of the rim, seals deep against smaller defenders, and presents such a large target that high passes most centers couldn’t catch become routine finishes. It’s easy to overlook how much pressure he puts on weak-side defenders simply by standing in the dunker spot, forcing them to choose between tagging cutters or giving him uncontested catches at the rim. The trade-off is obvious. Teams that spread the floor with five shooters and repeatedly force him into space can expose his lateral mobility, and he’s far less comfortable creating offense when catches come outside the paint or possessions require multiple decisions on the move. That’s why his ideal fit is with a roster that protects him from constant switching, funnels penetration toward the middle, and surrounds him with mobile perimeter defenders capable of fighting over screens. On the other end, pairing him with guards who thrive in pick-and-roll actions maximizes what he does best because he creates enormous driving lanes with his screens and finishes efficiently without demanding touches. To me, there are elements of Boban Marjanović in the way his size alone changes defensive coverages, while his commitment to staying near the rim and controlling vertical space also resembles Mark Eaton. Players with those physical dimensions don’t just defend shots. They reshape the decisions offenses are willing to make in the first place.

NBA — Tacko Fall | Center | NBA.com
UCF Knights — Tacko Fall – Men’s Basketball 2018-19
NBA — Tacko Fall headlines 2019 NBA Draft Combine measurements
NBC Sports Boston — Tacko Fall has a new (and fitting) Celtics uniform number picked out
Basketball-Reference — Tacko Fall Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more
New Zealand Breakers — Players
RealGM — 2025-2026 Ningbo Rockets Transactions