Tacko Fall is back in the NBA conversation. The 7-foot-6 center signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, joining Jameer Nelson Jr. and Saint Thomas as training camp additions.
An Exhibit 10 is not a roster spot. It is a chance to compete for one. If Fall gets waived, he can convert to a two-way contract or be assigned to the G League with a bonus. If he plays well enough, he could stick with a Sixers team that suddenly looks very different.
Philadelphia signed LeBron James in free agency and traded for Jaylen Brown. That is not a rebuild. That is a title push. Fall would not be featured on that roster, but Nick Nurse has never been afraid to use unconventional pieces, and a 7-foot-6 rim protector who can catch lobs is exactly the kind of specialist a contender might want at the end of a bench.
Fall’s story is one of persistence. He went undrafted in 2019 despite being one of the most famous college players in the country at UCF. He signed with the Celtics and became a cult figure in Boston for the flashes he showed. Cleveland gave him a chance in 2021-22. Then it was overseas basketball for years, first in China with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers and the Nanjing Monkey Kings, then in New Zealand with the Breakers, then back to China with the Ningbo Rockets.
He kept working. He kept getting better. He kept waiting for another NBA look, and now he has it.
Total career NBA numbers: 37 regular-season games, 55 G League games. That is not much, but it is enough to know he can play at this level in short spurts. The question is whether he can stay healthy enough and move well enough to be usable in an actual playoff rotation.
The odds are stacked against him. Roster spots on contenders are premium real estate, and the Sixers are already deep at the big man position. But the value of an Exhibit 10 is that it gets you in the building. Coaches see you every day. Front offices notice when you make the right rotation, set the right screen, or catch a lob without dropping it.
Fall has always been a great teammate by every account. Players love him. Fans love him. He shows up, works hard, and never complains about his role. That reputation matters when a team is deciding who to keep and who to cut.
There is also a marketing angle. Philadelphia is a big media market, and a 7-foot-6 fan favorite next to LeBron James would generate content every single night. That is not why Daryl Morey signs players, but it does not hurt.
The most likely outcome is Fall gets waived after camp, converts his deal, and spends the year in the G League with the Delaware Blue Coats. If he plays well, he could get called up at some point during the season, especially if injuries hit.
Either way, this is the kind of low-risk, high-personality move that Sixers fans should appreciate. Tacko Fall belongs in the NBA at least a little bit longer, and Philadelphia is giving him one more shot to prove it.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
