Growing up in Senegal, the path to the NBA was never going to be easy. However, watching the game of basketball as a kid, Tacko Fall knew that it was going to be his calling. It also helped that Fall was much different compared to his peers in the sense that he was incredibly tall. By the age of 15, he was already 7-foot-3 and when he was discovered by Ibrahima N'Diaye, it became clear that the best course of action was for Fall to move to the United States and train with the best.
Eventually, Fall became a standout star at the University of Central Florida, and he was especially electric in the NCAA March Madness tournament. From there, Fall was picked up by the Boston Celtics, where the 7-foot-6 center immediately became a fan favorite. He was so beloved that he was almost voted into the All-Star Game in 2020. Since that time, Fall got to play another season with the Celtics, although during the 2021-2022 season, he has split his time between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Cleveland Charge of the G-League.
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Fall is determined to get himself back into the NBA, and this past weekend, he was in Cleveland for the NBA All-Star Game, where he took part in MTN Dew's "The Block" activation. Here, Fall got to reunite with his former teammate Jayson Tatum, and he also got to interact with his biggest fans and supporters.
We had the pleasure of talking to Fall during the event, where he got to talk to us about his experience at the All-Star Game, his time with the Boston Celtics, and his biggest NBA Inspirations.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
HNHH: Hey Tacko, it's good to talk to you. You’re at the All-Star Game right now with Mountain Dew On The Block, how does it feel being a part of the activation this weekend?
Tacko Fall: It's fun, it's always fun to come out and interact with the fans. It's very interactive like I said, it's all about the fans and making sure to do what we can do to make sure they have a great experience and having the players involved—it's a great thing.
Obviously, today is the first day of it, but what has been your favorite part of the Block so far?
The interview I just did. The guy asked the right questions and I feel it was a pretty good conversation and like I said, I really like their setup that they have upstairs where you can hear the music and hear people having fun.
There's a bunch of players a part of it this weekend, one of them being Jayson Tatum who you got to play with in Boston. What has it been like to see him again and reconnect?
I actually texted him not too long ago to ask him when he was going to get here. But he’s one of my closest friends. It's always good to see him during the season and being with him, on the same team as him, and a few other guys, so it's always good to be able to see them and catch up.
When you first arrived in Boston a couple of years ago, how was it playing with Jayson Tatum and being able to learn from a guy like that?
Probably one of the most humble people I have ever been around for being so young and having accomplished so much, always keeping a level head. He’s just been awesome, he’s been a great friend and someone who has been really good to me throughout my whole time in Boston—him and other people on the team. That’s why I like to say there are two or three people who are long friends of mine and he’s one of them.
"[Jayson Tatum] has just been awesome, he’s been a great friend and someone who has been really good to me throughout my whole time in Boston—him and other people on the team."
You got to play with some great young players but in growing up and playing the game of Basketball who were some of your biggest NBA inspirations that maybe you were a little awe-struck when you got to play against them on the court?
LeBron, he’s been in the NBA for almost two decades now and it's just crazy to see him in the flesh out there playing and you’re out there with him. And you got guys like Steph but growing up for me was more like Shaq, Tim Duncan, and obviously, they’re way older than me so I didn’t get to play against them but yeah.
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And you speak of Shaq, being one of the tallest players in Basketball right now, whose style of play do you think you emulate the most when you’re out there on the court?
I try to pick here and there defensively, I try to watch bigs like Rudy, Joel, offensively I would say Joel. He is the most dominant big in the NBA and he’s someone I've looked up to since I was in high school. Him being African, there's also that connection.
With the All-Star Game, a big part of it is the fan voting and you yourself are a huge fan favorite-- a couple years ago you almost got voted into the game itself. What does it feel like knowing that you have such a big fan base and a lot of people looking to cheer you on and really hoping for the most success in your career?
I’m very appreciative of it. It means a lot, there's not many players who get that kind of love and I’m only in my third year in the NBA and to see that kind of love it means the world to me.
"It means a lot, there's not many players who get that kind of love and I’m only in my third year in the NBA and to see that kind of love it means the world to me."
And what would playing in the All-Star Game mean to you sometime in the future?
Ah man, not just for me but for my country. I don’t think we ever had an All-Star, that's history right there. If that ever happened, that would be huge. I’m still young, I’m only twenty-six, I got a long way to go, I’m definitely putting in the work and I will definitely get what I deserve in the long term. But if that ever happens that would be huge.
Getting to attend the All-Star Game a couple years ago seeing the 3-Point Contest and being there for all those events, what was your favorite part about that experience?
Everything. My first real experience in the NBA was at the All-Star event. It was the Dwight Howard Superman dunk and the year where I attended the Slam Dunk contest, Dwight Howard was there as well. He had on the same cape and for me, it came around full circle as a kid who was watching that on my computer, and then twelve years later I was right in front of Dwight, trying to do the same dunk but this time looking at him in real life. For me, that took me back and made me think about how far I’ve came but also gave me the motivation to keep going and keep pushing.
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This year you got to play with the Cavaliers for a little bit and now you’re playing with their G-League Affiliate. How has that experience been for your development as a player?
Growth. For me it's all about getting better day by day, every year I show some improvement. And like you said this year I started with the Cavs but injuries happen and they had to make a few changes, so I’m still working and waiting for that next opportunity. When the time comes, be ready to come and contribute.
How do you envision your path back to the NBA? Because being in the G-League, being able to develop and work your way back to the NBA, what are the things you’re looking forward to and the path back to the league?
Well, it's my third year in the league so people have a really good idea of what I can do on both sides of the floor, especially defensively. I can change a game in a lot of ways and my game has improved so much from where I was a few years ago, even a few months ago. So for me it's about being able to do it consistently for long periods of time and the more consistent playing time I get, especially in the G-League, its going to be good for me. Stay sharp and stay ready so that way the next time I’m in this position again I’m ready to go.
Throughout your career you’ve had some very interesting moments like the standing ovation you received in Boston when coming out to the floor, even in other arenas, other people chanting your name. What would you say is your favorite moment since joining the NBA? Whether it be on the court or with your teammates off the court.
On the court I would say when I went back to Boston this year and started that game, that was my first NBA start and it just meant a lot because coming out of college, Boston was one of the first teams to really believe in me and invest in me. And the way the fans received me and the way I was treated there was awesome. To be able to go back and start a game against them and they were still cheering for me, that's—Boston doesn’t just cheer for anyone, especially if you are on the other team. But they still had love for me over there and like I said I started that game so that was a great experience so far.