Nationality American Name Roland Taylor Pro career 1969–1977 | Listed weight 175 lb (79 kg) Listed height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | |
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Born March 13, 1946 (age 78)
Washington, D.C. ( 1946-03-13 ) College Dodge City CC (1965–1967)
La Salle (1967–1969) NBA draft 1969 / Round: 12 / Pick: 167th overall | ||
American basketball player Roland Taylor Died at 71
Roland Morris "Fatty" Taylor (born March 13, 1946) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6’0" guard born in Washington, D.C. and an alum of La Salle University, Taylor joined the American Basketball Association in 1969. After one year playing for the Washington Capitals, he moved on to the Virginia Squires, with whom he spent the prime of his career, tallying 3,495 points, 1,737 assists, and 1,715 rebounds in five seasons. Taylor became known as one of the few outstanding defensive players in a league known primarily for a "run-and-gun" style. On the Squires Taylor played with former or later NBA stars including Adrian Smith, "Jumbo" Jim Eakins and Julius "Doctor J" Erving. For one-and-a-half seasons Taylor was a teammate of George Gervin, and Taylor has been credited with coining Gervin's nickname "The Iceman" (he first called Gervin "Iceberg Slim", which gradually developed into the more familiar nickname). Taylor spent one season in the NBA (1976–77) as a member of the Denver Nuggets, and he retired in 1977 with combined ABA/NBA totals of 5,098 points, 2,563 assists, and 2,524 rebounds.