Brian Dwight Taylor (born June 9, 1951) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who played for the

New York Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, leading to four A ...

(ABA) and the

Kansas City Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

, and

San Diego Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA).

Basketball career

A 6'2" guard from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nin ...

, he was selected by the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

in the second round of the 1972 NBA draft. However, he began his professional career with the

of the ABA, for whom he played four seasons, appearing in two

ABA All-Star Game The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a professional basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the prim ...

s. When the Nets joined the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

in 1976, they traded Taylor to the

along with Jim Eakins and 2 first round draft picks in exchange for Hall of Famer Tiny Archibald. He averaged a career-high 17 points per game in 1976–77. He also played for the

and

, before a torn achilles tendon forced his retirement in 1982. Taylor graduated from Perth Amboy High School in 1969. During the

1979–80 NBA season The 1979–80 NBA season was the 34th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Championship, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals, and is notable for being ...

, Taylor led the league in 3-point field goals made with a total of 90.

Business career

In 2012, Great Hearts Academies hired Taylor to be the Executive Director of Teleos Preparatory Academy in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

.Angela Gonzales.
Brian Taylor to head Teleos Preparatory Academy in Phoenix
. ''Phoenix Business Journal''. May 1, 2012. Accessed August 19, 2012.

Family

His son, Bryce, played guard for the

Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conferenc ...

References

External links

Career Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Brian 1951 births Living people African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players at the 1971 Pan American Games Basketball players from New Jersey Denver Nuggets players Kansas City Kings players New York Nets players Point guards Perth Amboy High School alumni Princeton Tigers men's basketball players San Diego Clippers players Seattle SuperSonics draft picks Sportspeople from Perth Amboy, New Jersey Pan American Games competitors for the United States 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople