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.jpg) Fall with theCleveland Cavaliers in 2021 | |
| No. 99 – Ningbo Rockets | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | CBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1995-12-10)10 December 1995 (age 30) Dakar, Senegal |
| Listed height | 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) |
| Listed weight | 311 lb (141 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| College | UCF (2015–2019) |
| NBA draft | 2019:undrafted |
| Playing career | 2019–present |
| 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 |
| 2024–2025 | New Zealand Breakers |
| 2025 | Nanjing Monkey Kings |
| 2025–present | Ningbo Rockets |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
El Hadji Tacko Sereigne Diop Fall (born 10 December 1995) is a Senegalese professionalbasketball player for theNingbo Rockets of theChinese Basketball Association (CBA). He has previously played in theNational Basketball Association (NBA) for theBoston Celtics andCleveland Cavaliers.
Fall was born and raised inDakar, Senegal. He moved to the United States at age 16 and later playedcollege basketball for theUCF Knights. Fall went undrafted in the2019 NBA draft, but later signed with theBoston Celtics. During his two seasons in Boston, Fall became a fan favorite.[1] He signed with theCleveland Cavaliers as a free agent in 2021.[2]
At 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m), Fall was one of the tallest NBA players and is one of thetallest living humans.[3][4] At the 2019NBA Draft Combine, his measurements set all-time NBA records for tallest height in shoes (7 ft 7 in; 2.31 m), longestwingspan (8 ft 2.25 in; 250 cm), and highest standing reach (10 ft 2.5 in; 3.11 m).[5] The NBA now lists players' heights without shoes, so Fall is listed at 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m).[6][7]
Fall was born and raised inDakar, Senegal. In 2011, Senegalese basketball coach Ibrahima N'Diaye, the brother of former NBA playerMamadou N'Diaye, heard from a friend about an exceptionally tall teenager that he had seen playing with friends in a local street.[8] After identifying him, they visited the 15-year-old Fall—who already stood 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) tall—at his home and persuaded Fall's mother, Marianne Diop Sene, to allow Fall to start attending N'Diaye's basketball academy.[8] Fall moved to theUnited States at age 16. He first played organized basketball inHouston, Texas, and trained withNBA Hall-of-FamerHakeem Olajuwon.[9]
Fall was listed as 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) and was purportedly still growing around his senior year, making him the tallest high-school basketball player in the country while he played forJamie's House Charter andLiberty Christian Prep.[10]
Due to his height and reach, Fall was one of the most highly scouted high-school basketball centers in the nation.[citation needed] He first played forJamie's House Charter School in Houston, where his team won the state championship. Fall played with ISTI all-stars summer travel team and for Each 1 Teach 1 on theNike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) circuit where he played alongside fellow class of 2015 recruitsAntonio Blakeney andBen Simmons.[11] Fall also played in several NCAA certified events, including the NBPA Top 100 Camp inVirginia.[12] He then attendedLiberty Christian Preparatory School inTavares, Florida. As a senior in 2015, Fall averaged 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 5.1 blocks per game. Rated as a four-star and three-star recruit in the 2015 high-school class,[13][14][15] nearly 40 different schools expressing interest in him.[10] Fall committed to theUniversity of Central Florida inOrlando, who officially signed him on 28 October 2014. Fall played with theUCF Knights under head coachDonnie Jones.[13]
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Fall played college basketball for theUCF Knights. As a freshman during the 2015–16 season, he faced fellow Senegalese centerMamadou N'Diaye, who stands at 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m), in the tallest tip-off and match-up in U.S. college basketball history in a game against theUC Irvine Anteaters.[16]
As a sophomore in 2016–17, Fall was named American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.[17] He ranked second nationally in field-goal percentage as of January 2017.[18]
On 5 April 2017, Fall declared for the2017 NBA draft, with the possibility of returning to Central Florida still available to him before the end of the draft lottery that year.[19][20] On 24 May, Fall withdrew his name from consideration for the NBA draft, to return to UCF for his junior year.[21] During his junior year, Fall injured his shoulder,[22] causing him to play in only 16 games, totaling 351 minutes.[23]
Coming into his senior season, Fall was named to the Preseason Second Team All-AAC.[citation needed] During his senior season, Fall helped lead the Knights to the2019 NCAA tournament and secured their first victory in program history with a win over theVCU Rams.[24] In his final game, Fall recorded 15 points and six rebounds in a 77–76 loss to theDuke Blue Devils.[25]
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 in May 2019.[26] He was subsequently added to theNBA Draft Combine.[27] During the combine, he put up new records at the event, including height (which received comparisons to former NBA playerManute Bol),[28] wingspan, and standing reach.[29]
After going undrafted in the2019 NBA draft, Fall joined theBoston Celtics for the2019 NBA Summer League,[30] participating in all five games and averaging 7.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and shooting a team-high 77 percent from the field.[31] He signed with the Celtics on 25 July 2019.[32] On 13 October, the Celtics converted Fall to atwo-way contract, which split his time with the Celtics andMaine Red Claws of theNBA G League.[33] Fall made his debut for the Celtics on 26 October during a game against theNew York Knicks atMadison Square Garden. He recorded four points and three rebounds in four minutes, with his first points coming from a standing dunk.[34] On 20 December, Fall recorded a season-high five points, along with two rebounds and one block, in a 114–93 victory over theDetroit Pistons.[35] On 13 August 2020, he logged season highs of four rebounds and two blocks in a 96–90 loss to theWashington Wizards.[36] Fall led the Celtics in field goal percentage during the 2019–20 season.
With the Red Claws during the2019–20 NBA G League season, Fall averaged a double-double of 12.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. He earned All-Defensive Team honors, with averages of nearly three blocks per game.[37][38]
On 23 November 2020, Fall re-signed with the Celtics on another two-way contract.[39][40] On 30 December, Fall made his season debut for the Celtics, recording two points, a rebound, and two blocks in a 126–107 win over theMemphis Grizzlies.[41] On 15 January 2021, Fall logged a season-high six points, along with five rebounds and one block, in a 124–97 blowout victory over theOrlando Magic.[42] On 5 May, he recorded a season-high four blocks in a 132–96 blowout victory over the Magic.[43] On 16 May, Fall grabbed a season-high eight rebounds in a 92–96 loss to the New York Knicks.[44] Despite being under a two-way contract, Fall never played in the G League during the 2020–21 season due to the Red Claws not playing due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[45] He also led the Celtics in field goal percentage for the second consecutive season.
On 27 September 2021, Fall signed with theCleveland Cavaliers.[2] On 16 October, his deal was converted to a two-way contract with theCleveland Charge.[46] On 11 November, Fall made his debut for the Charge, logging a G League career-high 23 points along with 12 rebounds and three blocks in 29 minutes of play.[47] On 22 December, Fall made his first career NBA start in a 111–101 loss to his former team, the Celtics, grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds and a season-high four points.
On 9 January 2022, Fall was waived by the Cavaliers.[48]
On 12 January 2022, Fall was re-acquired by theCleveland Charge.[49]
On 24 August 2022, Fall signed a one-year contract to play for theXinjiang Flying Tigers of theChinese Basketball Association.[50]
Fall joined theMilwaukee Bucks for the2023 NBA Summer League.[51][52]
On 17 August 2023, Fall signed with theNanjing Monkey Kings of the Chinese Basketball Association.[53] In 44 games during the 2023–24 season, he averaged 8.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game.[54]
In September 2024, Fall joined theNew Zealand Breakers of the AustralianNational Basketball League (NBL) for the club's three-game U.S. tour.[55][56][57][58] He went on to miss all three games due to a quad injury.[59] Fall returned with the Breakers to New Zealand, where he trained with the team as a practice player.[60] On 26 November, Fall signed a two-year contract with the Breakers.[61][62] In 18 games during the2024–25 NBL season, he averaged 11.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.[54]
On 2 March 2025, Fall signed with the Nanjing Monkey Kings for the rest of the2024–25 CBA season.[63] In 12 games, he averaged 11.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game.[54]
On 22 July 2025, the Breakers parted ways with Fall.[64]
On 29 August 2025, Fall signed with theNingbo Rockets of theChinese Basketball Association.[65]
Given his size, Fall plays thecenter position. His shoe size is 22 (US), his wingspan is 8 ft 4 in (2.54 m)[66] and he has a reported standing reach of 10 ft 2 in (3.10 m).[18] Fall also has a maximum vertical leap of 2 ft 2.5 in (67 cm). His hands measure at 10.5 inches (27 cm) in length and width.[67] Prior to the 2019 NBA draft, Fall was viewed as a great shot blocker who was relatively lacking in lane agility and three-quarter-court sprinting speed.[68]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Source[69]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Boston | 7 | 0 | 4.7 | .786 | — | .333 | 2.1 | .1 | .1 | .6 | 3.3 |
| 2020–21 | Boston | 19 | 0 | 7.2 | .724 | — | .333 | 2.7 | .2 | .1 | 1.1 | 2.5 |
| 2021–22 | Cleveland | 11 | 1 | 5.4 | .417 | — | .286 | 2.1 | .2 | .0 | .5 | 1.1 |
| Career | 37 | 1 | 6.2 | .673 | — | .320 | 2.4 | .2 | .1 | .8 | 2.2 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Boston | 2 | 0 | 1.5 | 1.000 | — | .500 | .5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.5 |
| 2021 | Boston | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | — | — | — | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 3 | 0 | 1.3 | 1.000 | — | .500 | .7 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | UCF | 30 | 26 | 17.6 | .750 | — | .558 | 5.9 | .3 | .1 | 2.3 | 7.4 |
| 2016–17 | UCF | 36 | 36 | 26.3 | .715 | .000 | .462 | 9.5 | .6 | .3 | 2.6 | 10.9 |
| 2017–18 | UCF | 16 | 15 | 21.9 | .767 | — | .460 | 7.3 | .3 | .3 | 1.9 | 11.3 |
| 2018–19 | UCF | 32 | 32 | 24.9 | .750 | — | .363 | 7.7 | .5 | .3 | 2.6 | 11.0 |
| Career | 115 | 110 | 23.0 | .740 | .000 | .432 | 7.7 | .4 | .2 | 2.4 | 10.1 | |
Fall is aMuslim,[3] and selected the jersey number 99 with the Celtics as a reference to the99 names of Allah.[70] He is not the only tall member of his family; Fall's younger brother was reportedly 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) at age seven, while two of his uncles are 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), but his extreme height stands apart even among them.[citation needed] Fall maintained a 4.0grade-point average (GPA) in high school,[71] while taking advanced mathematics and science classes. He became fluent in English within eight months and scored in the 95th percentile on theSAT. Fall was acomputer-science major at UCF[18] and originally had aspirations of becoming an engineer for electronic companies such asSiemens orMicrosoft.[3]
