Admiral Schofield
October 27, 2025
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:
- 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 five points in his first game.
After underdelivering with Andrew Gaze as coach, Sydney went in a different direction in 2019 and signed Australian Boomers assistant Will Weaver as head coach. Melbourne declined the optional third year of Craig Moller’s contract, allowing Moller (via Melbourne) to return on a two-year deal, while Kevin Lisch was re-signed to a multi-year contract. Jerome Randle (to Adelaide) and David Wear departed and were replaced by Casper Ware (via Melbourne) and Jae’Sean Tate (via Antwerp), while Shaun Bruce (via Adelaide), Lucas Walker (via Cairns) and Next Star Didi Louzada were also added.
Taylor had originally signed a one-year deal with Adelaide during the off-season and impressed during the preseason, but the 36ers released him when the opportunity arose to bring former league MVP Jerome Randle back to the club. After leaving Adelaide, he spent a brief probationary period training with VEF Riga in Latvia without appearing in a game before the unbeaten Kings signed Deshon Taylor (via VEF Riga) on October 31 as an injury replacement for Lisch, who had fractured his left ankle in Round 2 and was expected to miss around two months. “We’re excited to be welcoming Deshon to Sydney,” Kings CEO Chris Pongrass said.
Deshon (5 points) made his Kings debut against Melbourne on November 4, playing 15 minutes off the bench as Sydney suffered its first loss of the season, 107-104. Ware (34 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Bruce (14 points and 8 assists) led the Kings, while Melo Trimble (27 points and 5 assists) was Melbourne’s best.
Taylor played 327 total minutes over 22 appearances during the 2019/20 regular season. In a retrospective NBL20 possession-type breakdown shared by basketball analyst Jordan McCallum, 37 percent of Taylor’s tracked plays were spot-up opportunities (1.135 points per play, rated above average), 16 percent pick-and-roll ball-handling plays (0.636 points per play, rated poor), 13 percent transition plays (1.389 points per play, rated elite), and 13 percent isolation plays (0.722 points per play, rated below average). These are the analyst’s historical play-type measures, not the NBL’s standard per-game statistics.
Taylor (6.6 points across 22 games) appeared in every regular-season game from his debut through to the end of the season and did not miss any games through injury. Lisch briefly returned in December before recurring soreness in his ankle forced him back onto the sidelines, while Taylor’s injury-replacement stint was extended when he was nominated to replace Moller, who missed 16 consecutive games with a right ankle injury. Sydney also strengthened the roster in late November by signing Xavier Cooks (via Strasbourg), with Kuany Kuany (released) making way on the roster.
Taylor produced his first major scoring performance against South East Melbourne on December 23, entering the game having struggled from outside before making three consecutive three-pointers during an 11-0 third-quarter run that broke the game open. Taylor (15 points) made five of seven shots as Sydney defeated the Phoenix 110-98, with Kickert (18 points) and Newley (16 points) leading the Kings while John Roberson (25 points and 6 assists) was South East Melbourne’s best.
His best game of the season came in Wollongong on January 24, where Taylor (17 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals) made all five of his three-point attempts in just under 16 minutes as Sydney defeated Illawarra 102-79 and secured a place in the finals. Tate (17 points and 7 rebounds) and Louzada (14 points) helped six Kings reach double figures, while Darington Hobson (13 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists) was Illawarra’s best.
Taylor remained productive late in the season, scoring in double figures in four of his final five appearances. Lisch returned again against Perth on February 1, while Moller recovered in time for Sydney’s final regular-season game. Taylor (12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) played 23 minutes in that game as the Kings defeated Illawarra 98-82, with Ware (19 points and 3 assists) and Tate (19 points and 5 rebounds) leading Sydney while Sunday Dech (26 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals) was Illawarra’s best. The victory completed a 20-8 regular season and secured first place for a Kings team that had occupied top spot throughout the campaign.
Ware (18.2 points and 3.7 assists across 33 games) led Sydney in scoring, while Tate (17 points and 5.7 rebounds across 33 games) was named to the All-NBL First Team and won the Kings’ club MVP award. Newley (11.7 points and 4.5 rebounds across 33 games), Louzada (9.9 points and 3.6 rebounds across 25 games), Bogut (8.2 points and 8.7 rebounds across 30 games), Lisch (8 points across 12 games), Kickert (7.9 points across 33 games), Bruce (7 points and 3.1 assists across 33 games), Cooks (6.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks across 19 games) and Moller (6.1 points across 17 games) rounded out one of the league’s deepest rotations, with Ware and Bogut named to the All-NBL Second Team.
With Lisch and Moller healthy again, Sydney no longer had an injury-replacement roster spot available for Taylor and he was removed from the active playing roster before the playoffs. His absence from the postseason was therefore a roster decision rather than an injury, although he remained with the Kings throughout their finals run.
Sydney opened its semifinal series against Melbourne at Qudos Bank Arena, recovering from 16 points behind inside the final seven minutes to win 86-80. Tate (23 points and 5 rebounds) and Newley (17 points and 5 rebounds) led the Kings, while Trimble (34 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals) and Shawn Long (23 points and 10 rebounds) led Melbourne.
Game two moved to Melbourne Arena, where United responded with a 125-80 victory. Tate (18 points and 6 rebounds) and Louzada (10 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals) were among Sydney’s leading performers, while Long (26 points and 11 rebounds) and Trimble (21 points and 2 steals) led Melbourne and forced a deciding game three.
Game three returned to Qudos Bank Arena, where Sydney defeated Melbourne 89-87 and advanced to its first Grand Final since 2008. Tate (20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block), Ware (15 points and 4 rebounds) and Cooks (14 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block) led the Kings, while Chris Goulding (19 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals) and Mitch McCarron (18 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks) led Melbourne.
Sydney opened the Grand Final against defending champion Perth at Qudos Bank Arena on March 8, where the Wildcats escaped with an 88-86 victory. Bogut (18 points and 11 rebounds) and Lisch (17 points) led Sydney, while Bryce Cotton (32 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Nick Kay (14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks) led Perth.
With the remainder of the series closed to the general public because of the growing COVID-19 outbreak, game two moved to RAC Arena on March 13, where Sydney responded with a 97-83 victory. Tate (20 points), Bogut (19 points and 14 rebounds) and Lisch (19 points) led the Kings, while Cotton (27 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Kay (17 points and 7 rebounds) were Perth’s best as Sydney levelled the series 1-1.
Game three returned to Qudos Bank Arena on March 15, where Perth defeated Sydney 111-96 and moved ahead 2-1 in the series. Tate (20 points and 6 rebounds) and Newley (19 points and 5 rebounds) led the Kings, while Cotton (31 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists) and Kay (30 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists) combined for 61 points for Perth.
Prior to game four, Sydney withdrew from the series amid the rapidly changing COVID-19 situation and concerns surrounding player welfare and international travel restrictions. The remaining games were cancelled before Perth was awarded the championship with its 2-1 series lead, with Cotton named Grand Final MVP after averaging 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists across the three games.
CAIRNS TAIPANS
2024/25
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).
On October 30, 2024, Cairns signed Taylor as an Injury Replacement Player for Pedro Bradshaw following his stint with Hapoel Haifa in Israel. The 28-year-old guard rejoined coach Adam Forde, who had previously worked with him as an assistant at Sydney during NBL20. Before returning to Australia, Taylor had played professionally in New Zealand, Finland, Hungary, Turkey and Israel. The signing was confirmed in the official Cairns Taipans announcement.
Injuries continued to affect the Cairns roster throughout 2024/25, including Taran Armstrong’s ankle injury and Tanner Groves’ calf strain. Taylor appeared in three games for the Taipans during this injury-replacement stint, averaging 3.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 17.1 minutes per game. The Taipans struggled for depth and had fallen to 3–16 by the end of 2024.
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 Cairns Taipans and the Sydney Kings. 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 | 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 | 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% | 17 |
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% | 17 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 17 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
|---|
NBA EXPERIENCE
Played for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019 NBA Summer League.
Taylor played games in the NBA. He averaged 0 points, 0 rebounds, and 0 assists per game over his NBA career.
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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