Made in China
Tacko Fall is playing in China now and suddenly looks like prime Bill Russell
Y’all remember Tacko Fall right? How could you not? He’s a 7’ 6” man named “Tacko.” During his short stint in the NBA, Fall made viral headlines—concussing himself on ceilings, making his professional basketball teammates look like Smurfs, etc.—but largely failed to make a splash on the court. This offseason, however, Fall took his talents to Xianjiang and, if this mixtape is any indication, has suddenly become prime Bill Russell. Check it out.
Dude is making steals on the defensive end. He’s driving the full-court on breakaways for the slam. He’s swatting balls to Mongolia from his tip-toes. You can watch the NBA, NCAA, Liga ACB, and LNB Pro A all season long and you won’t see a more dominant highlight package than Fall’s. This is the sort of competitive imbalance typically reserved for AAU and it’s happening in the professional game (albeit a million hardcourts away).
The stats still aren’t peak Shaq or Wilt. They aren’t even peak Olajuwon, but through the first nine games of the Chinese Basketball Association season, Fall has four double doubles, including three in his last three. On Friday, he posted seven blocks against the Southern Tigers and has 34 rebounds in the last week alone. If this trajectory continues, we could be looking at a CBA MVP contender by Christmas. Who cares, we get it. There are other things happening in China right now we should be paying attention to, but the fact is Tacko Fall has finally arrived. Better late than never.