New Zealand Breakers sign Tacko Fall: Former NBA center joins NBL team for US preseason games

The New Zealand Breakers have secured a massive signing – literally – with former NBA big man Tacko Fall set to join the squad. 

Fall, who at 7-foot-6 is tied for the second-tallest person to ever play in the NBA, will join the Breakers during their three-game tour of the USA during the American league’s pre-season. 

But despite being a monster signing for the squad, it will be a short-term deal for now, with ESPN reporting that Fall’s deal will not extend beyond the team’s time stateside. 

New Zealand Breakers sign Tacko Fall for NBA tourFormer NBA big and cult hero Fall will suit up with the Breakers when they travel to the USA to take on a number of NBA teams. 

Fall mostly recently suited up for Puerto Rican team Piratas de Quebradillas, but spent four years in the NBA and G-League from 2019-2022, playing for both the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

He will likely use these games with the Breakers as an audition to return to the NBA, after spending time both in Puerto Rico and in China, but his play will add excitement to an already promising slate. 

Across two weeks, the New Zealand-based NBL squad will face the Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers, and Oklahoma City Thunder, continuing the ongoing NBLxNBA games that have become a staple of both seasons in recent years. 

The Breakers will play in week two, but will miss weeks three and four, returning for the fifth week of the NBL following these NBA clashes. 

New Zealand Breakers NBA tour schedule DATEGAMEOct. 5Breakers vs. JazzOct. 8Breakers vs. 76ersOct 11.Breakers vs. ThunderTacko Fall NBA stats37 games2.2 points per game2.4 rebounds per game0.2 assists per game0.8 blocks per game0.1 steals per game67.3%FG32%FTTacko Fall heightAt 7-foot-6, Tall’s commanding frame makes him the second-tallest player to ever play in the NBA, alongside Yao Ming and Shawn Bradley, behind only 7-foot-7 pair Manute Bol and Gheorghe Muresan. 

He is the tallest player ever to sign for an NBL team, breaking the previous record of former Brisbane Bullets (2021-22) big man Chuanxing Liu at 7-foot-5. 

Prior to Liu, Sam Harris, who played for the Singapore Slingers, Perth Wildcats and Adelaide 36ers between 2008-2011 was the league’s tallest-ever player at 7-foot-3.