// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Fatty Taylor a big runner? Does he have a lot of fat-tigue?
 | This article includes a list of general references but lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (December 2014) |
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 13, 1946 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Died | December 7, 2017 (aged 71) Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Spingarn (Washington, D.C.) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 1969: 12th round, 167th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Playing career | 1969–1977 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 14, 54, 1, 21 |
| Career history | |
| 1969–1974 | Washington Caps / Virginia Squires |
| 1974–1975 | Denver Nuggets |
| 1975–1976 | Virginia Squires |
| 1976–1977 | Denver Nuggets |
| Career highlights | |
| Career ABA and NBA statistics | |
| Points | 5,098 (8.0 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,524 (3.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,563 (4.0 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Roland Morris "Fatty" Taylor (March 13, 1946 – December 7, 2017) was an American 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 (ABA) 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).[citation needed] 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.
Cancer and death
[edit]In 2000, Taylor was diagnosed with male breast cancer after his doctor's fill-in found that one of his nipples was inverted. One day after being diagnosed, Taylor went into surgery and ended up having a mastectomy.[1] In 2011, he was found to have many blood clots in his chest and that the cancer had recurred in his lungs and bones, which Taylor had treatment for soon after. In July 2015, he found that cancer had spread into his pelvis and he had many complications afterward.[2]
Fatty Taylor died from the complications on December 7, 2017, at the age of 71.
Career statistics
[edit]| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| * | Led the league |
ABA/NBA
[edit]Source[3]
Regular season
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969–70 | Washington (ABA) | 83 | 24.0 | .467 | .167 | .674 | 4.5 | 2.4 | 8.0 | ||
| 1970–71 | Virginia (ABA) | 84 | 19.4 | .458 | .182 | .684 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 6.4 | ||
| 1971–72 | Virginia (ABA) | 84 | 31.8 | .450 | .067 | .636 | 5.0 | 3.8 | 9.3 | ||
| 1972–73 | Virginia (ABA) | 78 | 32.7 | .465 | .429 | .605 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 2.7* | 10.1 | |
| 1973–74 | Virginia (ABA) | 80 | 35.2 | .412 | .158 | .723 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 2.7 | .2 | 9.7 |
| 1974–75 | Denver (ABA) | 76 | 26.6 | .428 | .286 | .750 | 2.9 | 4.4 | 2.3 | .2 | 8.4 |
| 1975–76 | Virginia (ABA) | 76 | 32.7 | .405 | .216 | .723 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 2.7 | .2 | 8.2 |
| 1976–77 | Denver | 79 | 19.6 | .420 | .569 | 2.7 | 3.6 | 1.7 | .1 | 3.8 | |
| Career (ABA) | 561 | 28.8 | .439 | .206 | .680 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 2.6 | .2 | 8.6 | |
| Career (overall) | 640 | 27.7 | .438 | .206 | .676 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 2.4 | .2 | 8.0 | |
Playoffs
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Washington (ABA) | 7 | 18.4 | .455 | – | – | 3.1 | 2.7 | 1.4 | ||
| 1971 | Virginia (ABA) | 12 | 17.8 | .425 | .000 | .679 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 4.4 | ||
| 1972 | Virginia (ABA) | 11 | 34.7 | .443 | .333 | .667 | 5.2 | 4.1 | 10.5 | ||
| 1973 | Virginia (ABA) | 5 | 33.8 | .342 | .500 | .933 | 4.2 | 2.8 | 8.2 | ||
| 1974 | Virginia (ABA) | 5 | 33.4 | .296 | .167 | .545 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 1.6 | .6 | 7.8 |
| 1975 | Denver (ABA) | 13 | 21.2 | .453 | .000 | .789 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 2.1 | .2 | 5.6 |
| 1977 | Denver | 1 | 1.0 | – | – | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | |
| Career (ABA) | 53 | 25.2 | .406 | .214 | .718 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 1.9 | .3 | 6.2 | |
| Career (overall) | 54 | 24.8 | .406 | .214 | .718 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 1.8 | .3 | 6.1 | |
References
[edit]- ↑ Former Nugget Roland 'Fatty' Taylor Passes Away at 71
- ↑ "Roland 'Fatty' Taylor - Male Breast Cancer Coalition". Male Breast Cancer Coalition. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
- ↑ "Fatty Taylor ABA & NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
External links
[edit] | This biographical article relating to a United States basketball player, coach, or other figure born in the 1940s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |
- 1946 births
- 2017 deaths
- 20th-century African-American sportsmen
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- American men's basketball players
- Basketball players from Washington, D.C.
- Deaths from male breast cancer
- Deaths from breast cancer in Colorado
- Denver Nuggets players
- Dodge City Conquistadors basketball players
- La Salle Explorers men's basketball players
- Philadelphia 76ers draft picks
- Point guards
- Undrafted ABA players
- Virginia Squires players
- Washington Caps players
- American basketball biography, 1940s birth stubs