Alex Higgins-Titsha
October 29, 2024
Deshon Taylor
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 17/03/96
- Place of Birth: Riverside, California (USA)
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 188
- Weight (KG): 84
- Junior Assoc: None
- College: Missouri-Kansas City (2015-2016) / Fresno State (2016-2019)
- NBL DEBUT: 4/11/19
- AGE AT DEBUT: 23
- LAST NBL GAME: 14/02/20
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 23
- NBL History: Sydney 2020 | Cairns 2025
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Deshon Taylor was born in Riverside, California (USA) and played at John W. North High School in Riverside, California. He helped lead his team to four consecutive league titles.
As a senior, Taylor averaged 24.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.6 steals a game while earning conference MVP, first-team all-state and all-county honours.
He was recruited by Hawaii, UC Riverside and Portland State, but committed to play at UMKC.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Deshon Taylor made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 23 years of age. He scored 12 points in his first game.
Heading into the 2024/25 season, Cairns entered a transitional phase following the departure of key imports Patrick Miller and Tahjere McCall. Other notable exits included Bul Kuol (to Sydney), Lat Mayen (to Adelaide), Bobi Klintman (NBA Draft), and Josh Roberts, leaving several holes across the roster.
To retool, the Taipans added new imports Rob Edwards, Pedro Bradshaw, and Tanner Groves, elevated rising star Taran Armstrong to the starting point guard role and team captain, and welcomed in fresh faces Kyle Adnam (via Illawarra), Jackson Makoi (via Sydney), and Kyrin Galloway (via Adelaide). Sam Waardenburg returned to anchor the frontcourt, while development signings Alex Higgins-Titsha and Kody Stattmann (via South East Melbourne).
By the end of 2024, injuries had decimated the roster. Armstrong missed several weeks with an ankle injury and Groves sat out with a calf strain. With Cairns plummeting to 3–16, the team turned to short-term reinforcements to fill rotation gaps.
One such addition was Deshon Taylor, who signed a short-term deal and appeared in three games. While his minutes were limited, Taylor brought defensive energy and experience, helping to stabilize the backcourt during a stretch when depth was stretched thin. He contributed 3.0 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. His best outing came in the Round 1 loss to Illawarra, where he posted 6 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist in 17 minutes off the bench.
Cairns would close the season with a more competitive 5–5 finish but ultimately placed last on the ladder with an 8–21 record. Coach Adam Forde departed at season’s end following a three-year stint that included one playoff appearance.
Sam Waardenburg (14.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists) led the team and was named Club MVP, Defensive Player, and Members’ Choice MVP. Tanner Groves (13.5 points, 5.7 rebounds) and Pedro Bradshaw (10.7 points, 5.7 rebounds) contributed solidly, while injury-driven opportunities saw breakout campaigns from Kyrin Galloway (7.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.1 blocks), Akoldah Gak (6.3 points, 5.6 rebounds), and Alex Higgins-Titsha (6.2 points, 3.9 rebounds).
Deshon Taylor played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Sydney Kings and the Cairns Taipans. He averaged 6.2 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 25 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 29 | Cairns | 8-21 (10) | 3 | 51.2 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 13% | 1 | 7 | 14% | 4 | 6 | 67% | 25% | 17% | 9 |
| 2019-20 | 24 | Sydney | 20-8 (1) | 22 | 327.4 | 146 | 24 | 22 | 3 | 21 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 31 | 42 | 106 | 40% | 26 | 68 | 38% | 36 | 42 | 86% | 58% | 52% | 17 | Totals | 25 | 379 | 155 | 28 | 23 | 5 | 23 | 6 | 3 | 16 | 33 | 44 | 121 | 36.4% | 27 | 75 | 36.0% | 40 | 48 | 83.3% | 55% | 48% | 23 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 29 | Cairns | 8-21 (10) | 3 | 17.1 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 5.0 | 13% | 0.3 | 2.3 | 14% | 1.3 | 2.0 | 67% | 25% | 17% | 9 |
| 2019-20 | 24 | Sydney | 20-8 (1) | 22 | 14.9 | 6.6 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 4.8 | 40% | 1.2 | 3.1 | 38% | 1.6 | 1.9 | 86% | 58% | 52% | 17 | Total | 25 | 15.1 | 6.2 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 4.8 | 36.4% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 36.0% | 1.1 | 3.0 | 83.3% | 55% | 48% | 23 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 23 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
|---|
NBA EXPERIENCE
Played for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019 NBA Summer League.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Latvia - VEF Rīga (2020) | New Zealand - Canterbury Rams (2021) | Finland - Kouvot (2021, 2022–2023), KTP-Basket (2025) | Hungary - Atomerőmű SE (2021–2022) | Turkey - Final Gençlik (2023–2024) | Israel - Hapoel Haifa (2024) | France - Le Portel (2025) | Kosovo - Bora (2025–2026) | Germany - WWU Baskets Münster (2026)
In September 2020, Taylor had a probationary period with Latvian club VEF Rīga, training with the team but not appearing in a game.
On January 12, 2021, Taylor signed with the Canterbury Rams for New Zealand’s Sal’s NBL season and was announced as the club’s first import for the campaign.
Across 18 games for Canterbury in 2021, he averaged 22.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, operating alongside teammates such as E.J. Singler and Jack Salt.
Taylor produced a noted late-season performance on July 17, 2021, scoring 28 points with five rebounds in a 104–84 win over the Otago Nuggets, with Salt adding 16 points and seven rebounds and Max Darling scoring 17 points, and Taylor sealing the game with a late three.
Later in 2021, Taylor joined Finnish Korisliiga side Kouvot and, over 13 games, averaged 17.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.1 steals per game before moving on during the season.
He then signed with Hungary’s Atomerőmű SE and went on to play 23 games, averaging 12.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per outing.
Taylor returned to Kouvot for the 2022–23 campaign and was named Korisliiga Player of the Month for October 2022 after averaging 24.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.8 steals, with Kouvot going 4–2 during that span, and he later finished as the league’s scoring champion at 25.4 points per game across 26 games.
On August 9, 2023, Taylor signed with Final Gençlik in Turkey and, across 31 games in the Türkiye Basketbol Ligi, averaged 19.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
In 2024, Taylor joined Hapoel Haifa in Israel and appeared in three Winner Cup games, including a September 19, 2024 outing against Bnei Herzliya where he finished with six points, three rebounds and three assists.
On January 17, 2025, Taylor signed with ESSM Le Portel in France’s LNB Élite but was released on January 23 without appearing in a game.
On January 26, 2025, he signed with Finland’s KTP-Basket and played four Korisliiga games, with his best listed individual line being 16 points, four rebounds and four assists in 27:21 on February 12, 2025, while sharing the roster with players including Roydell Brown and Marco Anthony.
During the 2025–26 season, Taylor logged games in Kosovo with Bora, including an appearance against KB Peja on October 25, 2025, before later recording a game for Germany’s WWU Baskets Münster on January 25, 2026.
COLLEGE
Deshon Taylor began his college career at Missouri–Kansas City in 2014–15, playing 33 games with 10 starts and averaging 7.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 40.8 percent from the field, 39.4 percent from three, and 80.3 percent at the free-throw line, before electing to transfer at the end of the season.
After transferring to Fresno State, Taylor redshirted the 2015–16 season under NCAA transfer rules, then debuted for the Bulldogs in 2016–17 and quickly became a major scoring option, playing all 33 games with 15 starts while averaging 12.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 40.3 percent from three, and posting an 87.9 percent free-throw rate that ranked among the best single-season marks in program history and earned him All-Mountain West recognition from both the media and the conference coaches.
Taylor’s 2016–17 season included a Fresno State single-game record of 17 made free throws in the Bulldogs’ quadruple-overtime game at Wyoming on February 8, 2017, and he surged late in the year by scoring at least 15 points in each of his 15 starts from mid-January through early March, averaging 20.7 points per game as a starter across that stretch while also adding 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.
In 2017–18, Taylor elevated to a near full-time starter and added major conference-wide recognition, earning first-team All-Mountain West and Mountain West All-Defense Team honours while averaging 17.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game over 32 games with 30 starts, and he set a Fresno State single-season record by making 200 free throws, a total that ranked seventh nationally that season, while also producing a career-high 32 points against Nevada on January 31, 2018.
Taylor returned for his senior season in 2018–19 after initially testing the NBA draft waters, and he again landed on the All-Mountain West first team and the Mountain West All-Defense Team while averaging 17.9 points, 5.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game across 28 games with 27 starts, logging 35.6 minutes per game and ranking among the Mountain West leaders in multiple categories including assists, steals, scoring, minutes played, three-point percentage, and assist-to-turnover ratio.
His senior year was highlighted by a career-high 37 points in Fresno State’s regular-season finale against San Jose State on March 9, 2019, a performance that helped earn him Mountain West Player of the Week honours on March 11 after a week that also included a win at San Diego State, and he later recorded a career-high 10 assists in the Mountain West tournament quarterfinal win over Air Force on March 14, 2019, while also being selected to the conference’s 3X3U team that competed during Final Four week in Minneapolis on April 5–6, 2019.
Taylor finished his Fresno State career with 1,482 points to rank seventh in program history, and he also closed his Bulldogs tenure ranked second in school history in free throws made, free throws attempted, and career free-throw percentage, while tying for sixth in program history in career three-point percentage, with additional postseason recognition across his final two seasons including back-to-back NABC All-District selections and a spot on the 2017 Cancun Challenge All-Tournament Team.
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