On this day in Boston Celtics history, former two way big man Elhadji Tacko Sereigne Diop Fall — better known to his fans as just “Tacko” — was born in Dakar, Senegal.
Falls path to the NBA was a fraught one involving shady handlers nearly costing him his visa. After some rough going early on in his career as a potential NBA prospect, the Senegalese center would land at Liberty Christian Preparatory School in Tavares, Florida. From there, he would accept an offer to attend the University of Central Florida in nearby Orlando to play at the NCAA level.
At UCF, he would earn American Athletic Conference (AAC) Defensive Player of the Year (2017) and AAC Third Team (2019) honors.