CLEVELAND — You know the saying: What goes up, must come down.
Unless, of course, you're one of the top 10 tallest players in NBA history and within arms reach of the rim.
He's 7 feet 6 inches with an 8-foot-2 wingspan. Tacko Fall, 26, knows what people see is remarkable.
"I'm used to it by now," he told us. "For the most part, I'm pretty chill with it. I understand."
His height is an obvious asset on the court. He's played for the Boston Celtics and as a fan favorite for the Cavaliers. These days, he's slamming dunks and blocking shots for the Cleveland Charge in the NBA's G League.
"I could see right away that [Cleveland teams] believed in me and that, you know, they believed in my skills and that I could really help them," Fall said.
Tacko has helped them, just as others have helped him get to where he is today.
"When I came to the States, they brought me here so that I could start playing basketball," he explained.
But his road to professional ball may surprise you. He grew up in Senegal playing soccer, not basketball, and focusing on a future in engineering.
"In my country, we specialized really early," he said. "We specialize in high school, I think in like 10 or 11th grade. You kind of choose your path."
Fall's path would change when, at 16, Liberty Christian Prep in Florida recruited him to play basketball. First, he needed his mother's blessing.
"The only thing my mom was saying, she was like, 'Is he still going to go to school?' Tacko remembered. "They were like, 'Yeah, he can actually get a scholarship in the United States.'"
He had to learn how to play the game for the first time in his entire life. It wasn't an easy start.
"It took me a few months to get accustomed to it, to get my body used to it," he said.
His early lessons in the sport turned into a love of the game, and he went on to play college ball at the University of Central Florida. There were people doubting him along the way, but he stayed focused on his mission to play in the pros.
"You're going to have your highs and you're gonna have your lows," he admitted, "but the thing is, you can't let your lows define you or how you approach things. You've got to get up the next day and keep growing."
That's exactly what Tacko did when teams skipped over him in the NBA Draft. Then, a surprising call came.
"[I] went back to the hotel, sat down, and my agent's phone kept ringing," he recalled. "It was Boston."
He had a successful run with the Celtics, and now here in Cleveland, he has an army of fans, especially on Twitter.
Fall is a humble man with a humble start. He knows where he came from, and wants to give back. He dreams of building an academy where kids in his hometown could go to school and train for basketball.
"I've already started doing some stuff with NBA Africa and the NBA Academy," Tacko said. "Even after I'm done playing, I'll still be involved in that and be an ambassador for NBA Africa."
He's unsure where his career will take him next, but Fall knows this for sure: He'll always push himself to be better.
"The biggest thing is, you've always got to believe in yourself and your capability, and don't let anyone tell you 'You can't do anything,'" he told us. "Nothing is guaranteed in life, but at least at the end of day, you know that you put your best foot forward and you just don't want to have any regrets."
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