Tacko Fall Returns to NBA After Four Years with Sixers Exhibit 10 Deal

Tacko Fall is back. The Philadelphia 76ers have announced the signing of the Senegalese center, who hasn't played in the NBA since the 2021-22 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He arrives with company: the club also officially announced the signings of point guard Jameer Nelson Jr. and small forward Saint Thomas.

The fine print: three Exhibit 10 contracts

All three signed Exhibit 10 contracts, according to sources cited by ESPN. That is, preseason agreements that allow them to compete for a roster spot without guaranteeing anything: if the team cuts them before the start of the regular season, they don't count against the salary cap. In exchange, they can earn a bonus of around $91,000 if they spend two months with the Delaware Blue Coats, the franchise's G League affiliate. All three are also eligible for two-way contracts.

Translation: Fall has an opportunity, not a guaranteed spot. But it's more than he's had in four years.

The 2025-26 numbers

Last season he played in the Chinese league with the Ningbo Rockets, and he did well: 10.8 points on 80 percent shooting from the field, 6.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 17 minutes per game. That's the argument for the signing. At 7'5", Fall doesn't need to do anything complicated to be productive near the rim, and those percentages speak for themselves.

His journey since leaving the NBA has been nomadic: Xinjiang, Jiangsu, Nanjing and Ningbo in China, the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian league and a stint in the Puerto Rican league. In the NBA he has accumulated 37 games between Boston and Cleveland, averaging 2.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 6.2 minutes, always in a reserve role but with popularity disproportionate to his minutes: "Tacko Mania" was a real phenomenon in Boston.

Why now, and why Philadelphia

The context helps. The Sixers don't have much depth behind Joel Embiid, a center who carries a considerable injury history, and a big man of these dimensions at zero cost is exactly the type of bet teams make in September. It's the same logic several franchises are applying these weeks: reversible deals, minimal risk, potential surprise option.

There's also a house detail: Jameer Nelson Jr. is the son of the club's executive vice president of basketball operations, Jameer Nelson, who played fourteen seasons in the NBA. The kid has never debuted in the league and comes off spending the 2025-26 season with the Stockton Kings, Sacramento's G League affiliate.