Getty Boston Celtics big man Tacko Fall on the court during a 2021 game against the Atlanta Hawks.
Two years after the Boston Celtics brought him to the NBA as an undrafted free agent in 2019, Tacko Fall remains something of a mystery as a basketball player. After playing just seven games and 33 total minutes as a rookie, the Dakar, Senegal native only saw action in 19 games as a sophomore.
This much is certain, though — Fall’s incredible size and track record are indicative of some incredible defensive potential.
In ’20-21, his 5.3 blocks per 36 minutes would have led the league by a substantial margin had he played enough to qualify for the leader boards. Meanwhile, his 7-foot-5 height and 8-foot-4 wingspan are in the top 1% of the top 1% of the Association.
While that intriguing combination of sheer size and rim-protecting instincts was often kept under lock and key by Brad Stevens, some of the 25-year-old’s other skills have been on full display recently.
Namely, his impressive soccer skills and footwork, which were one of the topics du jour on social media on Friday.
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Is Tacko Fall Liverpool-Bound?
Fall just updated his Instagram timeline with a video clip that already has the masses talking. In the clip, Fall was shown inside the 18-yard box on an urban soccer pitch with a ball at his feet.
He subsequently showed off his dribbling skills, bouncing the soccer ball from his right foot to his left and back again at varying heights. Finally, he let the ball hit the grass, after which he caught it off the bounce with his right foot and fired it past a goalkeeper and into the net in one fell swoop.
In the post’s caption, Fall tagged Liverpool FC stars Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane while inquiring about a spot with the English Premier League powerhouse.
“Yoo @virgilvandijk @sadiomaneofficiel, If you guys need [another] striker this summer lmk,” he wrote, adding a smiling face with sunglasses emoji.
He got a response from the legendary soccer club, too. The Liverpool FC Twitter account quickly fired off a tweet of the video that also read, “What do we think, Reds? Should we sign @tackofall99?”
That post was followed by a reply which included footage of Fall meeting Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, who enthusiastically declared, “That’s a striker!” He further compared him to legendary British footballer Peter Crouch, who is 6-foot-7 in his own right.
Within just a few hours of its posting, Fall’s video had already amassed nearly 200,000 views.
Fall’s Murky Celtics Future
Although a career in international football may or may not be in Fall’s future, his situation with the Celtics is definitely a more pressing issue at this point in time.
Fall’s two-way contract with the Celtics has technically reached its end. However, the club can make him a restricted free agent by tendering him a qualifying offer in the area of $1.6 million. That would give Stevens the ability to match any offer sheet Fall might receive.
Or, Fall could simply sign the qualifying offer — if it is actually tendered — and remain with the team for another year.
However, it’s difficult to predict him having much of a market given the sparse amount of court time he has received thus far. Moreover, Boston’s pivot position just got significantly more crowded with Al Horford and Moses Brown joining a group that already included Rob Williams and Tristan Thompson, in addition to Fall.
Still, Fall is only 25 years old and his shot-blocking prowess remains intriguing, even if he continues to be a project player.
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