Jeffery Matthew Taylor (born May 23, 1989) is a Swedish-American 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 for

BC Wolves BC Wolves is a Lithuanian professional basketball club based in the city of Vilnius. The team competes in the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). History 2022-23 season The organisation was founded on 2 June 2022, with the name Wolves referri ...

of the

Lithuanian Basketball League Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

(LKL). He played

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for

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

, before being drafted 31st overall by the Charlotte Bobcats in the

2012 NBA draft The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Asso ...

High school career

Considered a four-star recruit by

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, Taylor was listed as the No. 10 small forward and the No. 52 player in the nation in 2008.

College career

After Taylor's freshman season of 2008–09, ''DraftExpress.com'' said, "One of the most pleasant surprises in last season’s mediocre SEC outheastern Conferencewas the emergence of Vanderbilt freshman Jeff Taylor." He averaged 12.2 points and 6.2 rebounds on his way to SEC All-Freshman honors. However, he showed one weakness in an otherwise solid season by shooting only 22 percent from three-point range. His sophomore season saw some progress, but also some cause for concern; one scout said near the end of the season, "while he is improved in many areas, he has regressed in some as well." Taylor improved his scoring average to 13.3 per game, but his rebounding dropped slightly to 5.2 per game. The most obvious issue was his perimeter shooting, which saw a decline; he attempted only 11 three-pointers and made only one. Nonetheless, he was named to the All-SEC second team by the league's coaches, and was also named to the SEC All-Defensive Team. In

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, he further established his reputation as a defensive stopper, frequently being called on to defend every position on the floor except

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while again being named to the SEC All-Defensive Team. Taylor also improved his three-point shooting to a more respectable 34.5% while attempting more than twice as many shots from behind the arc as in his first two seasons combined. Averaging 14.7 points and 5.5 rebounds, he was again named second-team All-SEC. Taylor was widely viewed as a potential early entry into the

2011 NBA draft The 2011 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2011, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (23:00 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. Kia Motors was the presenting sponsor ...

, based mainly on his athleticism and defensive skills. However, he decided to stay at Vanderbilt for his senior season in 2011–12. His decision to return, along with those of fellow stars John Jenkins and

Festus Ezeli Ifeanyi Festus Ezeli-Ndulue (born October 21, 1989) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player. He previously played five seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Vanderbilt Commodores men' ...

, made the Commodores a likely preseason top-10 pick. (full article behind paywall; cited information in free preview)

Professional career

Charlotte Bobcats / Hornets (2012–2015)

Taylor was selected with 31st overall pick in the

by the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populous ...

. On July 13, 2012, he signed his first professional contract with the Bobcats. On November 23, 2012, Taylor scored a career high 16 points in a 91–101 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. On December 21, 2013, it was announced that Taylor would miss the remainder of the season with a

torn Torn may refer to: Film and television * ''Torn'' (2009 film), an American film by Richard Johnson * ''Torn'' (2013 American film), directed Jeremiah Birnbaum * ''Torn'' (2013 Nigerian film), directed by Moses Inwang * ''Torn'' (TV series), a ...

right

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus (h ...

. He had been averaging 8.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 24.2 minutes per game. After serving out his 24-game suspension by the NBA that was handed down to him in September 2014, Taylor was set to return to action with a stint in the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

with the Hornets' affiliate team, the

Fort Wayne Mad Ants The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and are affiliated with the Indiana Pacers. The team plays their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. The M ...

. However, with the maximum allowance of four NBA players already being on assignment to the Mad Ants, the flexible assignment rule was used on December 28, 2014 so the Hornets could assign Taylor to the

Austin Spurs The Austin Spurs are an American basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cedar Park, Texas, and are affiliated with the San Antonio Spurs. The team plays their home games at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. The team has made the postseason in ...

, the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

' one-to-one D-League affiliate. He was recalled by the Hornets on January 9, 2015. On June 30, 2015, the Hornets decided not to extend a qualifying offer to Taylor, thus making him an unrestricted free agent.

Real Madrid (2015–2022)

On August 27, 2015, Taylor signed a one-year deal with the Spanish team

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

. In May 2018, Real Madrid won the 2017–18 EuroLeague championship, after defeating Fenerbahçe Doğuş in the final game with 85–80. Over 34 EuroLeague games, Taylor averaged 5.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

BC Wolves (2022–present)

On December 23, 2022, Taylor signed with

of the

(LKL) until the end of the 2022–23 season.

Career statistics

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2008–09 , style="text-align:left;", Vanderbilt , 31 , , 31 , , 26.0 , , .502 , , .220 , , .691 , , 6.2 , , 1.7 , , .9 , , .4 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="text-align:left;", Vanderbilt , 33 , , 33 , , 26.8 , , .493 , , .091 , , .746 , , 5.2 , , 1.7 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 13.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", Vanderbilt , 34 , , 33 , , 31.7 , , .449 , , .345 , , .719 , , 5.5 , , 2.4 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 14.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;", Vanderbilt , 36 , , 36 , , 32.1 , , .493 , , .423 , , .605 , , 5.6 , , 1.7 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , 16.1 , -

NBA

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

, 77 , , 29 , , 19.6 , , .431 , , .344 , , .728 , , 1.9 , , .8 , , .6 , , .2 , , 6.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 26 , , 8 , , 24.2 , , .376 , , .269 , , .553 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , .5 , , .2 , , 8.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 29 , , 13 , , 14.8 , , .395 , , .306 , , .634 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .4 , , .2 , , 4.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 132 , , 50 , , 19.4 , , .409 , , .319 , , .665 , , 2.0 , , .8 , , .5 , , .2 , , 6.1

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 25 , , 3 , , 15.2 , , .473 , , .323 , , .611 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .2 , , .1 , , 4.3 , , 2.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, 30 , , 22 , , 15.5 , , .500 , , .392 , , .667 , , 1.8 , , .5 , , .4 , , .1 , , 4.6 , , 3.6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2017–18† , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 23 , , 20.6 , , .419 , , .352 , , .700 , , 1.9 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .1 , , 5.9 , , 4.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 22 , , 18.2 , , .534 , , .448 , , .630 , , 1.6 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , .1 , , 5.6 , , 4.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;",

, 24 , , 14 , , 18.6 , , .444 , , .393 , , .667 , , 2.1 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , .1 , , 4.8 , , 3.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 147 , , 84 , , 17.8 , , .472 , , .388 , , .667 , , 1.9 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .1 , , 5.1 , , 4.0

International career

Taylor participated in the

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

edition of the

EuroBasket EuroBasket, also commonly referred to as the European Basketball Championship, is the main international basketball competition that is contested quadrennially, by the senior men's national teams that are governed by FIBA Europe, which is the E ...

. It was his first official appearance with the Swedish senior squad. He was Sweden's top scorer, averaging 21.2 points per game, along with 4.6 rebounds per game.

Personal life

Taylor is the second-oldest of the six children of Jeff Taylor, who briefly played in 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 St ...

before playing in Sweden, where he lived until his death. While the younger Taylor is a citizen of both Sweden and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

by birth, he played for

Norrköping Dolphins The Norrköping Dolphins are a professional basketball club from Norrköping, Sweden. It plays in the Basketligan, the highest league in Sweden and won the league six times. Home games of Norrköping are played at the Stadium Arena. History Th ...

youth team In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future if t ...

, and has lived in the U.S. since 2006, he has said, "...if someone asks where I'm from, I say Sweden." However, he grew up steeped in the basketball culture of

Hobbs, New Mexico Hobbs is a city in Lea County, New Mexico, Lea County, New Mexico, United States. Its population was 40,508 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, increasing from 34,122 in 2010. Hobbs is the principal city of the Hobbs, New Mexico microp ...

, where his father was a high school star in the late 1970s: Taylor left Sweden for Hobbs in 2006, at the age of 17, moving in with his grandmother. Besides his desire to play at his father's alma mater, he determined that playing high school basketball in America would enhance his college basketball prospects. He quickly drew major interest from

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

programs, especially after a senior season when he averaged more than 30 points while leading Hobbs to a state title. Taylor, named one of the top 150 recruits in the country by

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

, considered about a half-dozen schools before narrowing his choices to Vanderbilt and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, eventually choosing Vanderbilt. He was one of three top-150 recruits signed by

Commodores Commodores are an American funk and soul band, which were at their peak in the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed with Motown in ...

head coach

Kevin Stallings Kevin E. Stallings (born October 1, 1960) is a former American basketball coach, who formerly served as the head coach at Illinois State University, Vanderbilt University and the University of Pittsburgh. He was an assistant coach at Purdue Univ ...

in 2008.

Assault

On September 25, 2014, Taylor was arrested at a hotel in

East Lansing East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County with a smaller portion extending north into Clinton County. At the 2020 Census the population was 47,741. Located directly east of the state capital ...

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, charged with one count of domestic assault, assault, and malicious destruction of property. He was later suspended by the NBA for 24 games without pay after he pleaded guilty to the charges. He also received a one-year suspension from the Swedish national team.