Larry James Taylor Junior, also commonly known simply as Larry in Brazil (born October 3, 1980), is an American-Brazilian professional basketball player. At a height of 1.82 m (5 ft 11.5 in) tall, he can play either the point guard or shooting guard position, with point guard being his main position. He also represented the senior Brazilian national basketball team. While he was a player of Bauru, he received the nickname "Alienígena" (English: Alien), because of his skills with the basketball.
Professional career
Taylor first came to Brazil in 2008, to play with Bauru Basket. On the São Paulo State's team, he became one of the most important players in Brazil, helping the team to win major championships such as the FIBA Americas League (Latin America's version of the EuroLeague) and to reach the top-tier level Brazilian League's (NBB) finals, becoming a local idol. He also competed at the 2015 FIBA Intercontinental Cup with Bauru, where they lost in the finals to the at the time defending EuroLeague champions Real Madrid.
After 7 years with Bauru, Taylor joined Mogi das Cruzes of the top-tier Brazilian League. In his first game back with Bauru, his former team retired his number 4 jersey.[1]
Eventually, Taylor would return to Bauru after three years away playing for Mogi das Cruzes.[2]
National team career
In 2012, Taylor received Brazilian nationality, and thus became able to represent the senior Brazilian national basketball team at major tournaments. Taylor went on to play with Brazil at the 2012 Summer Olympics, the 2013 FIBA AmeriCup, and the 2014 FIBA World Cup. In 2015, he won the gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games, in Toronto.
He was ultimately left out of the final roster list of Brazil's national team for the 2016 Summer Olympics, in Rio de Janeiro.
Career statistics
NBB
Regular season
| Season | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3PT% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Bauru | 28 | 36.4 | .493 | .339 | .842 | 6.8 | 6.3 | 2.6 | .4 | 19.3 |
| 2009–10 | Bauru | 26 | 34.9 | .492 | .427 | .768 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 2.0 | .3 | 16.2 |
| 2010–11 | Bauru | 28 | 32.1 | .494 | .347 | .720 | 5.0 | 5.6 | 1.9 | .1 | 13.7 |
| 2011–12 | Bauru | 28 | 34.4 | .516 | .329 | .852 | 5.4 | 6.7 | 2.0 | .3 | 16.5 |
| 2012–13 | Bauru | 32 | 34.3 | .501 | .347 | .895 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 1.8 | .2 | 14.6 |
| 2013–14 | Bauru | 29 | 31.3 | .491 | .364 | .792 | 5.7 | 3.8 | 1.3 | .2 | 13.8 |
| 2014–15 | Bauru | 30 | 26.0 | .493 | .282 | .789 | 4.2 | 2.7 | 1.3 | .1 | 9.7 |
| 2015–16 | Mogi das Cruzes | 28 | 28.9 | .431 | .303 | .784 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 2.0 | .1 | 11.6 |
| 2016–17 | Mogi das Cruzes | 24 | 27.2 | .425 | .298 | .784 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 1.9 | .2 | 9.8 |
| 2017–18 | Mogi das Cruzes | 26 | 30.1 | .424 | .347 | .786 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 1.8 | .1 | 11.5 |
| 2018–19 | Bauru | 17 | 26.1 | .439 | .347 | .840 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 1.4 | .1 | 10.1 |
| 2019–20 | Bauru | 11 | 23.7 | .439 | .375 | .727 | 3.4 | 1.9 | 1.1 | .0 | 9.2 |
| 2020–21 | Bauru | 30 | 24.8 | .403 | .352 | .935 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 0.9 | .0 | 7.9 |
| 2021–22 | Bauru | 29 | 31.4 | .465 | .384 | .864 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 1.1 | .2 | 14.8 |
| 2022–23 | Bauru | 32 | 20.7 | .467 | .331 | .696 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 0.7 | .0 | 7.0 |
| Career | 398 | 31.1 | .471 | .347 | .816 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 1.6 | .1 | 13.0 |
Playoffs
| Season | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3PT% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Bauru | 3 | 34.8 | .367 | .417 | .833 | 2.7 | 3.7 | 2.3 | .3 | 15.7 |
| 2010 | Bauru | 6 | 36.0 | .563 | .423 | .833 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 1.5 | .5 | 22.2 |
| 2011 | Bauru | 7 | 36.5 | .568 | .320 | .774 | 4.6 | 7.0 | 1.9 | .4 | 15.1 |
| 2012 | Bauru | 6 | 35.8 | .410 | .355 | .795 | 6.0 | 5.5 | 1.3 | .2 | 19.0 |
| 2013 | Bauru | 8 | 38.1 | .427 | .387 | .800 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 1.1 | .0 | 15.0 |
| 2014 | Bauru | 7 | 31.2 | .367 | .280 | 1.000 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 1.9 | .3 | 9.4 |
| 2015 | Bauru | 12 | 30.6 | .421 | .231 | .844 | 5.4 | 3.3 | 1.4 | .2 | 9.2 |
| 2016 | Mogi das Cruzes | 12 | 28.5 | .428 | .200 | .674 | 4.3 | 2.8 | 1.1 | .3 | 11.1 |
| 2017 | Mogi das Cruzes | 5 | 33.1 | .457 | .286 | .769 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 1.8 | .0 | 12.8 |
| 2018 | Mogi das Cruzes | 12 | 33.2 | .395 | .303 | .900 | 6.3 | 4.3 | 1.6 | .1 | 12.8 |
| 2019 | Bauru | 6 | 29.8 | .430 | .250 | .727 | 5.3 | 2.3 | 1.5 | .0 | 11.8 |
| 2021 | Bauru | 5 | 11.7 | .383 | .300 | 1.000 | 2.4 | 1.6 | .2 | .0 | 3.6 |
| 2022 | Bauru | 6 | 31.0 | .511 | .467 | .929 | 3.8 | 1.8 | .3 | .2 | 14.8 |
| 2023 | Bauru | 7 | 13.2 | .286 | .222 | .844 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.4 | .0 | 2.4 |
| Career | 102 | 30.3 | .473 | .315 | .799 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 1.3 | .2 | 12.2 |
Personal
Taylor is married to Erika Nicole Taylor, a Kansas City, Missouri activist and philanthropist. He is friends with Dwyane Wade and his brother since young.[3]
He became a naturalized Brazilian citizen in 2012 in order to play for Brazil at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[4] In Brazil Taylor have started his rapper career.[5]
Taylor is a supporter of Corinthians in Brazil and usually choose this team to play FIFA.[6]
References
- ^ "Sob gritos de "uh, Larry Taylor", Bauru imortaliza camisa 4 do agora mogiano". ge.globo.com (in Brazilian Portuguese).
- ^ "Bauru anuncia oficialmente retorno de Larry Taylor". gazetaesportiva (in Brazilian Portuguese).
- ^ "Wade diz ter orgulho da carreira do amigo Larry Taylor, mesmo sem NBA". ge.globo.com (in Brazilian Portuguese).
- ^ "Larry Taylor consegue naturalização e está liberado para defender o Brasil na Olimpíada". UOL (in Brazilian Portuguese).
- ^ "Astro do Bauru Basket, Larry Taylor faz sucesso como rapper". ge.globo.com (in Brazilian Portuguese).
- ^ "Corintiano até no videogame e amigo de astro da NBA: Conheça Larry Taylor". ESPN (in Brazilian Portuguese).
External links
- FIBA.com Profile
- Latinbasket.com Profile
- RealGM.com Profile
- NBB Profile (in Portuguese)
- Bauru Basket Profile (in Portuguese)
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