Fever Rookie Celeste Taylor Talks About Making it to the WNBA, Playing Against Her Idols
On the eve of the 2024 WNBA Draft, future second-round pick Celeste Taylor was with us at SLAM HQ, reminiscing about her childhood memories of going to New York Liberty games with her father. It was during those times that she saw legends, champions and MVPs like Sugar Rodgers, Essence Carson, Cappie Pondexter and Tina Charles, and, as a soccer girl, she had the opportunity to return to Skylar Diggins-Smith and Candace Parker when she came to town.
“I think a lot of it is where I got my love for the game,” Taylor tells us. “Just seeing them compete and go after it every night—as I got older, [it was] Kelsey Plum, A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray. [I was] they were able to see women really succeed in their work.”
For Taylor, the fact that he is playing in the same League as those he has always loved is surreal. The former 2023 ACC Defensive Player of the Year–who averaged 10.1 points and 3.4 assists after transferring to Ohio State for his fifth year–knows he has a lot to learn if he wants to take his game to the next level. “The first thing that comes to mind is how crazy it is, and how crazy it will be to see people you saw playing as a kid in front of you. Playing next to them or against them, I mean, it's fun and cool, honestly. “
When asked if she's ready to hold her own, Taylor doesn't hesitate. “I'm here.”
Photos via Getty Images. Photo by Evan Bernstein.
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