Quence Donell Taylor II (born July 26, 1982) 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 (appro ...

player. He is tall. He can play as a

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

or as a

swingman A swingman is an athlete capable of playing multiple positions in their sport. Basketball In basketball, the term "swingman" (a.k.a. "wing" or "guard-forward") denotes a player who can play both the shooting guard (2) and small forward (3) positi ...

, but his primary position is

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game ...

Early life and college career

Taylor was born and raised in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

. After leading

Sidney Lanier High School Sidney Lanier High School was a Public school (government funded), public high school in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. History Established in 1910 on the southern outskirts of downtown Montgomery, Alabama, the school was named for a South ...

to the 2001 6A State Championship along with his identical twin brother, Ronell, Donell Taylor attended and played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

at Okaloosa-Walton Community College (now

Northwest Florida State College Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC) is a public university, public college with its main campus in Niceville, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, offering a ...

) from 2001 to 2003, before transferring to the

University of Alabama at Birmingham The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a public research university in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. Founded in 1969 and part of the University of Alabama System, UAB has grown to be the state's largest employer, with more than ...

(UAB) to play for the

UAB Blazers The UAB Blazers are the varsity intercollegiate athletic programs that represent the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The school is one of the fourteen member institutions of the American Athletic Conference and participates in Divisi ...

. He played alongside his twin brother Ronell Taylor at both Okaloosa-Walton Community College and at UAB.

Professional career

Washington Wizards (2005–2007)

After the

2005 NBA draft The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players fro ...

, Taylor signed with the

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

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in August 2005.Wizards Sign Hiram Fuller and Donell Taylor.
August 16, 2005. In two seasons (2005 to 2007) with the Wizards, Taylor played in a total of 98 NBA games, with one start per season. Taylor averaged 9.1 minutes per game, 2.7 points per game, and 0.9 rebounds per game in his rookie season, and 7.9 minutes per game, 2.7 points per game, and 1.0 rebounds per game in the season. The Wizards waived Taylor in October 2007, before the start of the regular season.

Maroussi and Telindus Oostende (2007–2008)

After leaving the Charlotte Bobcats, Taylor signed with the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the Greek basketball league system, first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the ...

team

Maroussi Marousi or Maroussi (), also known as Amarousio (), is a city and a suburb in the northeastern part of the Athens urban area, Greece. Marousi dates back to the era of the ancient Athenian Republic; its ancient name was '' Athmonon'' () and it r ...

, and played in 7 games with Maroussi, averaging 13.0 points per game, 3.1 rebounds per game, and 1.7 assists per game, in 30 minutes played per game in the Greek League. In March 2008, Taylor signed with Telindus Oostende of the

Basketball League Belgium Division I The Pro Basketball League (PBL), was the highest tier level professional basketball league in Belgium for clubs. In 2021, the league was succeeded by the Belgian-Dutch BNXT League. The league is organized by the Basketball League Belgium. The c ...

. In three games played in the Belgian League, he averaged 3.0 points and 0.7 rebounds, in 9.3 minutes per game.

Aigaleo (2008–2009)

Returning to the NBA, Taylor played in the preseason with the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte most commonly refers to: *Charlotte (given name), a feminine form of the given name Charles ** Princess Charlotte (disambiguation) ** Queen Charlotte (disambiguation) *Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, a city * Charlotte (cake) ...

, but he was released on October 14, 2008, before the regular season began. He signed with

Aigaleo Aigaleo or Egaleo ( ) is a town and a suburban municipality in the western part of the Athens urban area, belonging to the West Athens regional administrative unit. It takes its name from Mount Aigaleo, whose name comes from the words αίγα/a ...

of the Greek Basket League in November 2008, and averaged 12.9 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, and 2.1 assists per game, in 20 games played in the Greek League.

Erie BayHawks and Idaho Stampede (2009–2010)

Starting the NBA season with the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

team Erie BayHawks, Taylor was traded to the

Idaho Stampede Idaho ( ) is a landlocked state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington and Oregon to the west; the state s ...

on December 31, 2009. With Erie, Taylor averaged 18.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.4 steals; with Idaho, Taylor averaged 21.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.7 steals.

Fastweb Casale Monferrato (2010–2011)

On August 10, 2010, Taylor signed a contract with Fastweb Casale Monferrato of the Italian second-tier

Legadue Basket Serie A2, known for sponsorship reasons as Serie A2 Old Wild West, is a men's basketball league in Italy. It constitutes the second-tier of the Italian league pyramid, below the first division LBA and above the third division Serie B, with ...

. Taylor averaged 13.0 points per game, 4.0 rebounds per game, and 2.1 assists per game in the 2010–11 season of the Italian 2nd Division. Casale won the Legadue championship for the season.

Trenkwalder Reggio Emilia (2011–2013)

On August 1, 2011, Taylor signed with

Pallacanestro Reggiana Pallacanestro Reggiana, also simply known as Reggiana or Reggio Emilia, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Unahotels Reggio Emilia, is an Italian professional basketball team based in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna. It plays in the LBA as ...

of the Italian 2nd Division. In his first season with the club, Taylor played in 28 games and averaged 17.1 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game, and 1.8 assists per game in the Italian 2nd Division. The team moved up to

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club (sport), club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball ...

, the first-tier Italian league, after winning the 2012 Legadue championship. In his second season with Reggio Emilia, Taylor averaged 18.6 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game, and 2.3 assists per game in the top tier Italian League.

Umana Reyer Venezia (2013–2014)

In the summer of 2013, Taylor signed with

Umana Reyer Venezia S.S.P. Reyer Venezia Mestre, commonly known as Reyer Venezia or simply Reyer, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Venice, Veneto. The club currently plays in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), the Italian basketball league sys ...

of the Italian First Division. In the Italian League, he averaged 14.4 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game, and 2.2 assists per game.

Return to Reggio Emilia (2014)

On October 20, 2014, he returned to

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia (; ), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until Unification of Italy, 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 172,51 ...

. On December 29, 2014, Taylor and Reggio Emilia parted ways. Taylor averaged 11.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 10 games.Donell Taylor, Reggio Emilia part ways
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References

External links

*
EuroCup profileEurobasket.com profileItalian League profile

Greek Basket League profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Donell 1982 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportsmen Aigaleo B.C. players American expatriate basketball people in Belgium American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Venezuela American men's basketball players A.S. Junior Pallacanestro Casale players Basketball players from Alabama BC Oostende players Erie BayHawks (2008–2017) players Idaho Stampede players Lega Basket Serie A players Maccabi Ashdod B.C. players Maroussi B.C. players Northwest Florida State Raiders men's basketball players Pallacanestro Reggiana players PBC Academic players Point guards Reyer Venezia players Shooting guards Sidney Lanier High School alumni Small forwards Trotamundos de Carabobo players UAB Blazers men's basketball players Undrafted NBA players Washington Wizards players 20th-century African-American sportsmen