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 (appro ...

player for Wolves Twinsbet of the

Lithuanian Basketball League Lithuanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe ** Lithuanian language ** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region ** L ...

(LKL). He 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 ...

for

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

, 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 A ...

High school career

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, 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, he further established his reputation as a defensive stopper, frequently being called on to defend every position on the floor except center 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 sponso ...

, 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, 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. 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 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 calcane ...

. 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 for assaulting his girlfriend, 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 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, ...

with the Hornets' affiliate team, the

Fort Wayne Mad Ants The Noblesville Boom are an American professional basketball team based in Noblesville, Indiana that competes in the NBA G League. The Boom are the affiliate team of the NBA's Indiana Pacers and, since 2025, they have played their home games at ...

. 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 professional 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 po ...

, 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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

' 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 (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

. In May 2018, Real Madrid won the

2017–18 EuroLeague The 2017–18 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague was the 18th season of the modern era of Euroleague Basketball and the eighth under the title sponsorship of the Turkish Airlines. Including the competition's previous incarnation as the FIBA Europe Champi ...

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 BC Wolves of the

(LKL) until the end of the 2022–23 season. On May 24, 2023, Taylor renewed his contract with the Lithuanian club through 2025, with an option for an additional year.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , 77 , , 29 , , 19.6 , , .431 , , .344 , , .728 , , 1.9 , , .8 , , .6 , , .2 , , 6.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , 26 , , 8 , , 24.2 , , .376 , , .269 , , .553 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , .5 , , .2 , , 8.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , 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;" rowspan="7",

, 25 , , 3 , , 15.2 , , .473 , , .323 , , .611 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .2 , , .1 , , 4.3 , , 2.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , 30 , , 22 , , 15.5 , , .500 , , .392 , , .667 , , 1.8 , , .5 , , .4 , , .1 , , 4.6 , , 3.6 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2017–18† , 34 , , 23 , , 20.6 , , .419 , , .352 , , .700 , , 1.9 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .1 , , 5.9 , , 4.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , 34 , , 22 , , 18.2 , , .534 , , .448 , , .630 , , 1.6 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , .1 , , 5.6 , , 4.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , 24 , , 14 , , 18.6 , , .444 , , .393 , , .667 , , 2.1 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , .1 , , 4.8 , , 3.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , 32 , , 14 , , 14.8 , , .430 , , .265 , , .750 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , .4 , , .1 , , 3.6 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , 23 , , 8 , , 13.1 , , .466 , , .405 , , .750 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , .3 , , .1 , , 3.3 , , 2.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 202 , , 106 , , 16.8 , , .466 , , .373 , , .681 , , 1.7 , , .9 , , .4 , , .1 , , 4.6 , , 3.5

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;", 2010–11 , 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 , -

International career

Taylor participated in the

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

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 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 ...

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 (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

by birth, he played for Norrköping Dolphins

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

, 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, 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 micropolitan statistical area ...

, 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 division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

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 (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

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

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

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

Commodores Commodores, often billed as The Commodores, are an American funk and Soul music, soul group. The group's most successful period was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Lionel Richie was the co-lead singer. The members of the group met as m ...

head coach

Kevin Stallings Kevin Eugene Stallings (born October 1, 1960) is an American former 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 ...

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, Michigan, Ingham County, although a small portion extends north into Clinton County, Michigan, Clinton County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, 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.