Former Clipper Mike Taylor, First D-League Player Drafted by NBA, Returns to Roots

Filed under: NBA D-League

Former Clippers second-round pick Mike Taylor has signed a contract with the NBA Development League, according to a source close to the situation.

Taylor, a 6-foot-2 guard, played for the Idaho Stampede during the 2007-08 season and then was drafted with the 55th overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft that summer. This marked the first time a player from the NBA Development League had made the jump to the NBA via the draft.

Taylor's basketball career started out rocky as he played two seasons at Chipola Junior College, transferred to Iowa State for his junior year and then, after being dismissed from the Cyclones basketball program despite being the team's leading scorer, he elected to play in the D-League with hopes of entering the NBA Draft.

Taylor was picked up by the Idaho Stampede early in the season and averaged 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists as the team's sixth man. Taylor was the backup point guard to current Stampede head coach Randy Livingston on a team that also boasted former/future NBA players Josh McRoberts, Mickael Gelabale, Taurean Green, Luke Jackson, Lance Allred and Mouhamed Sene. The Stampede won the D-League's championship that season with Taylor hitting four 3-pointers in the deciding game on his way to his 11th 20-plus point game.

Following his successful D-League season, Taylor piqued the Clippers' interest enough to trade their second-round pick in the next draft to the Blazers in order to select Taylor with the 55th selection, thus ensuring they would have his rights in what would surely have been a bidding war that summer for the potential-laden guard. In 51 games for the Clippers, including five starts, Taylor averaged 5.7 points and 2.1 assists in just over 15 minutes of action.

 

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