Kendrick Perkins has a theory about why the Philadelphia 76ers just added one of the tallest players in basketball.
The ESPN analyst pointed directly at San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama after the Sixers signed 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall on September 1, suggesting Philadelphia already has the potential Western Conference powerhouse on its mind.
“Wemby is to Blame for this move!!! 76ers definitely going all in!!!” Perkins wrote on X.
Perkins was responding to an NBACentral post that cited a Polymarket NBA championship market showing Philadelphia with the third-highest probability at 13%, behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder and Wembanyama’s Spurs.
The reaction is probably more playful than literal. Fall is not arriving in Philadelphia with a guaranteed rotation spot.
But after everything else the Sixers have done this offseason, Perkins’ broader point about their championship ambitions is harder to dismiss.
Tacko Fall Will Have to Earn His 76ers Roster Spot
The Sixers announced Fall along with Jameer Nelson Jr. and Saint Thomas, with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reporting that all three signed Exhibit 10 contracts and will participate in training camp.
An Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed camp deal, giving Philadelphia a chance to evaluate Fall before deciding whether he belongs on its regular-season roster, a two-way contract or potentially with the Delaware Blue Coats.
Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice reported that the Sixers have kept their final two-way spot open and that all three new additions are eligible for it.
So Perkins’ suggestion shouldn’t be interpreted as evidence Philadelphia signed Fall specifically to stop Wembanyama in a potential NBA Finals series.
There is still a long way between Fall reporting to camp and getting minutes in a game that important.
Still, it isn’t difficult to see where the joke came from.
Fall presents a physical profile that virtually no other player can reproduce. At 7-foot-6, he is even taller than the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama. If Fall earns a place in Philadelphia’s system, he could at minimum give the Sixers an unusually valuable practice body when preparing for the NBA’s biggest frontcourts.
He also gives head coach Nick Nurse another possible depth option behind Joel Embiid. Fall has appeared in 37 NBA regular-season games with the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, averaging 2.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 6.2 minutes per game.
Fall hasn’t played an NBA game since the 2021-22 season and has spent the ensuing years playing overseas.
That makes his roster battle much more immediate than any hypothetical matchup with Wembanyama.
Kendrick Perkins’ ‘All In’ Comment Fits Sixers’ Bigger Offseason
Where Perkins has stronger evidence is his description of Philadelphia as “going all in.”
Fall is one of the smallest bets the organization has made during an enormous offseason.
The Sixers added LeBron James on a two-year deal and acquired six-time All-Star Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics. Philadelphia also brought in Anfernee Simons, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Dean Wade and Ariel Hukporti as part of a sweeping roster makeover around Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
The result is a roster with dramatically different expectations entering 2026-27.
Philadelphia went 45-37 last season and finished seventh in the Eastern Conference. Its new-look team opens the regular season October 20 on the road against the New York Knicks, according to the NBA schedule.
Fall isn’t the move that made the Sixers championship-or-bust.
James and Brown did far more to create that expectation.
But Fall’s arrival is another example of Philadelphia searching for every possible edge before camp, even if his immediate challenge is simply surviving the roster cut.
And if the Sixers eventually find themselves staring across the court at Wembanyama in June, Perkins has already supplied the origin story.
Kendrick Perkins Sounds off on 76ers After Tacko Fall News