Penny Taylor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Penny Taylor

Penny Taylor at the White House in 2014
Personal information
Born	(1981-05-24) 24 May 1981 (age 44) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft	2001 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11th overall
Selected by the Cleveland Rockers
Pro career	1997–2016
League	WNBA
Career history
As player:
1997–1999	Australian Institute of Sport
1999–2002	Dandenong Rangers
2001–2003	Cleveland Rockers
2002–2003	Termocarispe La Spezia
2003–2007	Famila Schio
2004–2007	Phoenix Mercury
2007–2009	UMMC Ekaterinburg
2009–2011	Phoenix Mercury
2009–2013	Fenerbahçe Istanbul
2013–2014	Phoenix Mercury
2014–2015	Dandenong Rangers
2015–2016	Shanxi Flame
2016	Phoenix Mercury
As coach:
2019	Phoenix Mercury (asst.)
Career highlights and awards
3× WNBA champion (2007, 2009, 2014) 3× WNBA All-Star (2002, 2007, 2011) All-WNBA First Team (2007) All-WNBA Second Team (2011) WNBL champion (1999) No. 13 retired by Phoenix Mercury 3× WNBL All-Star Five (2001, 2002, 2015) 2× WNBL Top Shooter Award (2001, 2002) FIBA World Championship MVP (2006)
Medals Women's basketball Representing  Australia Olympic Games Silver 2004 Athens Team Silver 2008 Beijing Team World Championship Gold 2006 Brazil Team Bronze 2002 China Team Bronze 2014 Turkey Team

Penelope Jane Taylor (born May 24, 1981) is an Australian former professional basketball player and assistant coach. She played for 19 years. Taylor spent most of her career with the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA. She helped them win three championships.

Penny also won a title in Australia with the Australian Institute of Sport. She played basketball in China, Italy, Turkey, and Russia. As part of the Australian national team, called the Opals, Taylor won two Olympic medals. She led the Opals to a gold medal at the World Championships in 2006. She was even named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of that tournament.

Early Life and Basketball Start

Penny Taylor was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Her parents, Michael Taylor and Denna Noble, were from England. Penny has a younger brother, Phillip, a step-sister, Abbey, and an older sister, Heather.

When she was four, her parents signed her up for the Belgrave South Red Devils basketball club. Playing basketball helped Penny overcome her shyness. She later joined the Nunawading Spectres. After high school, she earned a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. Penny also has a UK passport because of her parents' background.

Playing in Australia (WNBL)

Penny Taylor started her professional career in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). She played for the AIS team starting in 1997. The team won the WNBL title the next season.

After that, she moved to the Dandenong Rangers. She played there from 1999 to 2002. During the 2000–01 season, Taylor was the top scorer in the league. She averaged 25.5 points per game. She also led the league in steals with 2.5 per game. Penny was named the WNBL MVP in both the 2000–01 and 2001–02 seasons.

After playing overseas for 12 years, Taylor returned to the Rangers for the 2014–15 WNBL season. She wanted to be closer to her family. She played 17 games, scoring 20.2 points per game. The Rangers made it to the playoffs. In the semifinals, Penny hurt her ankle. Her team, the Rangers, lost the game after she left.

Playing in the WNBA

The Cleveland Rockers picked Penny Taylor in the first round of the WNBA draft in 2001. She was the 11th player chosen overall. She played for the Rockers for three seasons.

In 2004, the WNBA held a special draft for players from the Rockers team. Penny Taylor was the very first player chosen by the Phoenix Mercury.

In July 2007, she was picked to be an All-Star player. On September 16, 2007, Penny Taylor, along with Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter, led the Phoenix Mercury to win the WNBA championship. They beat the Detroit Shock in the final game. It was the first time a team won the championship on the road.

Penny missed most of the 2009 season because of ankle surgery. But she came back to the Mercury team later that season. She scored about 10.7 points per game. The Mercury went on to win another WNBA Championship that year. They beat the Indiana Fever in five games. Penny made two important free throws at the end of the final game to help secure the win.

In 2012, Penny hurt her left knee while playing in Turkey. She had to miss the entire Mercury season. She had three knee operations during her recovery. Her other knee also had problems in 2013, requiring more surgery.

Penny Taylor (number 13) with the Mercury during her final season with the team.

In 2014, Penny worked hard to get back to playing. She worked with the health staff of both the Mercury and the Phoenix Suns. Her former teammate, Sandy Brondello, became the new coach. Penny played limited minutes at first. Once she was fully recovered, she became a starter for the Mercury. The team then won 16 games in a row, which was a WNBA record. They also did not lose another home game that season. Penny's return helped the team have the best record in the league. They won 29 games and lost only 5. The Mercury returned to the WNBA Finals and won the title against the Chicago Sky.

Penny did not play in the 2015 season for personal reasons. The Mercury re-signed her on February 8, 2016. She started her thirteenth WNBA season right away. Before the Olympics break in August, Penny announced she would retire at the end of the season. Her last game was on October 2, 2016, in Phoenix. The Mercury lost to the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA semifinals.

Playing for Australia (Opals)

Taylor (number 7) and the Opals at the podium for the 2006 World Championship, where she was chosen Most Valuable Player.

Penny Taylor was a regular player for the Australian national team, known as the 'Opals', starting in 2002. In 2002, she won a bronze medal at the World Championship. Her biggest achievement was winning the 2006 World Championship in Brazil. Penny was named the Most Valuable Player of that championship.

The Opals won silver medals in two Olympic Games: Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008. Penny missed the 2012 Summer Olympics because of an injury she got while playing in Turkey. Taylor was named captain of the Opals for the 2014 World Championship. She helped the team win the bronze medal and was named to the All-Star Five. Her last tournament with the Opals was at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Australia lost in the quarterfinals there.

When the WNBA season was over, Penny played basketball in Italy, Russia, and Turkey. She won at least one championship in each country. In the 2015-16 offseason, Penny played for the Shanxi Flame in China. She averaged 23.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.

Coaching Career

In March 2017, Penny Taylor became the Director of Player Development and Performance for her old WNBA team, the Phoenix Mercury. After having a son in March 2018, Penny took a year off from coaching. In April 2019, the Mercury announced that Penny Taylor was hired as an assistant coach.

In July 2020, Penny decided to step down as assistant coach of the Mercury. She wanted to focus on being a full-time mother.

Family Life

Penny Taylor has a family with Diana Taurasi, who is also a famous basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury. They have two children. Their son, Leo Michael Taurasi-Taylor, was born on March 1, 2018. Their daughter, Isla Taurasi-Taylor, was born on October 9, 2021. Diana Taurasi played a big game in Las Vegas on October 8, 2021. She then flew back to Phoenix to be there for Isla's birth just hours later.

WNBA Career Statistics

WNBA Regular Season

WNBA Postseason

See also

In Spanish: Penny Taylor-Gil para niños

• List of Australian WNBA players