Tacko Fall leaves the court after suffering an injury playing for Chinese Basketball Association club the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. Photo: AFP
Tacko Fall won't rule out bringing his towering frame to the Breakers full-time, depending on the outcome of his cameo with the New Zealand club.
Senegal-born Fall, one of the tallest players to ever grace a basketball court, will play all three games in a guest appearance for the Breakers on their three-leg tour of the US starting next week.
The 7-foot-6 (2.29m) centre will attract NBA scout eyeballs during games against the Utah Jazz (October 5), Philadelphia 76ers (Oct 8) and Oklahoma City Thunder (Oct 11).
After two seasons playing in the relative obscurity of the Chinese Basketball Association, Fall is delighted to be back in the shop window.
As a free agent, the 28-year-old's primary goal is to add to his CV in the NBA, which currently reads two seasons with the Boston Celtics (2019-21) and one with the Cleveland Cavaliers (21-22) in the world's biggest league.
His court time and output were low across 37 NBA games but he believes he's only now hitting his physical prime.
Failing an NBA return, a fulltime contract with the Breakers is something Fall won't discount and says he felt good vibes from the club's owner Matt Walsh when the pair negotiated the initial three-game stint.
"Yeah. Matt is really excited. We spoke briefly by text message and him and my agent spoke quite a lot as well," Fall said from New York, the latest stop on a promotional tour for his picture book biography, charting his journey as a teen in Dakar to the stardom of the NBA.
"I've heard great things about the league, I've heard great things about the team. It's a very professional league and I'm looking forward to meeting every single person in the organisation.
"At the end of the day, we all want to play in the NBA but I'm really focused on going out there and showing that I still belong. Whatever comes out of it, comes out of it."
Former NBA player Tacko Fall joins the NZ Breakers. Photo: AFP
Fall said an NBL contract with the Breakers would also need clearance from his wife and two young daughters, although he didn't believe that would be a problem.
"Family is very important to me, I want them also to be comfortable wherever I'm at," he said.
"I've heard great things about New Zealand so going there would be huge."
Fall says his prodigious height - complete with 2.50m wingspan and size 22 shoes - means he is still recognised everywhere goes.
Standing 7-foot-3 (2.2m) at age 15, he was famously enticed to the US to try out the hitherto unfamiliar sport of basketball.
Fall learned quickly that with height came expectations, starting with four years at the University of Central Florida and then his stint with the Celtics, where he became a fan favourite despite occupying the bench for long periods.
"That expectation is normal and that's something I feel I've embraced," he said.
"I'm very level headed about it, I try not to think too much about it. I just want to out wherever I am and have fun. A lot of people are very supportive of me and want to see me succeed."
