BOSTON, Massachusetts — Tacko Fall has only played in 3 NBA games. Ever. But don't tell that to NBA all-star voters, Boston Celtics fans, or Maine Red Claws fans.
The NBA released its first fan returns for the 2020 all-star game. Among frontcourt players in the Eastern Conference, Fall trails only five other players including Celtics teammate Jayson Tatum who currently has about 364,000 fan votes.
It must be reiterated that this is just the fan vote. However, fan votes do make up 50 percent of the final vote tally, along with 25 percent determined by current NBA players' votes and 25 percent determined by media votes.
NBA all-star voting ends on Jan. 20. The all-star game will be played Feb. 16 in Chicago.
According to ESPN, the 7'6'' rookie from Senegal has played in three career games. In those games, he has averaged 3.7 minutes of playing time, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.3 points.
It's highly unlikely that Fall will get the votes necessary in the current player voting and media voting to qualify for the all-star game. But tallying a high fan vote definitely reflects the unique relationship Celtics fans and Red Claws fans have with Tacko.
When Fall enters the game, fans at the TD Garden simply can't help themselves. There's just something about Tacko Time.
Fall swings between the Celtics and the Maine Red Claws. For the Red Claws, Fall is averaging 14.1 points in 11 games so far this season.
It's also certainly worth noting that full-time Celtics Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward, Kemba Walker, and Jaylen Brown are all listed in either the top 10 for forwards or top 10 for guards in fan votes in the Eastern Conference.
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