Former Celtics player Tacko Fall was considered an anomaly of nature back when he got an Exhibit-10 contract with the Celtics after going undrafted in 2019. But an underwhelming end to his time in the NBA came in 2022 after he was traded to the Cavaliers, who eventually waived him, following which he has continued his basketball career in China.
Now, years after he last played in the NBA, Tacko Fall has gone viral on social media for training to become a firefighter. The seven-foot-six-inch-tall center also plays for the Ningbo Rockets in the CBA, but in his free time, he envisions himself saving lives from burning flames. Hence, he undertook this training with the Chicago Fire Department.
Former NBA player Tacko Fall is working towards becoming a firefighter pic.twitter.com/fgI3JlXQVU
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) September 23, 2025
NBA fans were absolutely ruthless and kept joking about the former Celtics player due to his height. While some of them said he has the perfect height for the job, most fans kept yanking his chain over what they would feel if they saw him coming to help them during a fire.
“Ngl if I’m on the second floor of my house burning to death and you send a firefighter with a 10-foot wingspan, I’d think I’m lucid dreaming.”
“If I see him in a fire, I’m gonna think he’s the Grim Reaper.”
“Bro’s the pole they slide down on.”
“It’s gonna take him 20 mins to get out of the truck.”
“Bro does not need a ladder to get into the burning buildings.”
“If you send Tacko Fall in to save me, I might just jump out the window.”
“My dude needs to tie his shoes before running into a burning building.”
“When you’re 7’6″, the ladder just becomes a step stool.”
Fall is looking to join the Chicago Fire Department, and if he passes these training courses, then we might just see the first NBA player-turned firefighter in Chicago.
While Fall did not have a memorable NBA career, he certainly became a marvel for Celtics fans to look at, considering his height. And now he is becoming a role model as a player for the young generation to always give back to the community.
In the three seasons he played in the NBA, he averaged 2.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.2 assists per game while shooting 67.3% from the field. Arguably, he had the most eyes on him when Aaron Gordon decided to jump over him for the NBA All-Star Dunk Contest in 2020.
Tacko Fall is not the first NBA player to turn to a public servant after his or her career. Players like Shaquille O’Neal and Kevin Johnson have taken up roles like a sheriff or the mayor to give back to the community that put them where they are in the first place.
