Tacko Fall, the former Central Florida Golden Knight with a height of 7-foot-7 and a wingspan of 8-foot-2, has a long way to go before he’s ready to be an NBA contributor with the Boston Celtics.
But the rookie is already turning heads in early Summer League action, notching an elusive “DWJ” in the stat column — “a dunk without jumping,” in yesterday’s win over the Cleveland Cavs.
Tacko Mania is officially here, with opposing crowds chanting “We Want Tacko” in anticipation of the gentle giant’s check-ins.
So far, they’ve certainly been rewarded (watch this ridiculous dunk below):
Upon further review, Tacko’s “DWJ” doesn’t quite hold up to scrutiny, (his feet clearly leave the ground, as seen at the 24-second mark).
But it’s still an impressive feat, and it got us thinking about other players capable of notching a DWJ from years gone by.
The first name that popped into my head, aside from the obvious answers of Boban and Manute Bol of course, was Mark Eaton.
A third-round pick in 1979 and a longtime member of the Utah Jazz, the hulking Eaton stood 7-foot-4 and averaged an unbelievable 5.6 blocks per game during the 1984-1985 season.
Eaton makes the highlight reel we unearthed below.
Bol, the legendary 7-foot-7 Sudanese giant whose son was recently drafted out of Oregon by the Denver Nuggets, also made the clip.
Aside from his ridiculous block rate (Bol finished his career first in career blocks per 48 minutes at 8.6, almost 50% above Eaton’s career rate of 5.8) and ability to light up the crowd with an unexpected three ball at any given time, Bol also made dunking without jumping (higher than a handful of inches, at least) into an art form.
Boban: King of the “DWJ”
The undisputed king of the dunk without jumping in today’s NBA is clearly Boban Marjanovic.
The Serbian sensation, known for his cameo in the latest John Wick movie, has one of the longest wingspans in the NBA, and no shame when it comes to attacking the rim.
As you’ll see in the highlight clip below from the channel DeeBall on Youtube, Marjanovic has the DWJ down pat with his signature post-dunk arm extension, even though he also happens to jump about the height of a phone book.
Clearly, the art of selling the DWJ lies in sticking the landing:
Longest Wingspans in NBA History: Manute, Tacko Lead the Way
The average adult male’s wingspan is about two inches longer than his height, but lately wingspans have begun hitting epic proportions in the Association.
Manute Bol remains the unofficial all-time champ with a wingspan of about 8-foot-6, while the Tacko Man measured in at 8-feet, 2 inches in the combine prior to being drafted.
Mo Bamba, drafted sixth overall by the Orlando Magic in 2018, clocked in at 7-feet, 10 inches, the largest incoming wingspan by a rookie since the NBA started measuring in 2000, according to Athlon Sports, tied with Marjanovic.
For now, enjoy the dunks, and the 10-foot rims for that matter, while you still can.
