Terry Taylor. No, not the ‘Red Rooster’. Not sure who that is, either. Don’t worry, we will get back to that in a moment. The Terry we meant is the Sacramento Kings‘ new member. Known widely for his elite performances during his time in Austin Peay, the 6’4 forward unfortunately went undrafted on the 2021 Draft Night. But that hadn’t disheartened him. It motivated him to work harder.

And the result was a standard multiyear deal with the Pacers by the end of the 2021-22 season. Although his initial matchups did not put him under the spotlight, a mixture of COVID-19, injuries, and trades provided more than enough opportunities for Taylor to showcase just what he was made of. And what Indiana saw, they liked.

It seems like the Kings also agree. Senior NBA insider Chris Haynes tweeted the news that, “Free agent guard Terry Taylor has reached an agreement on a camp deal with the Sacramento Kings.” Having signed a two-way contract with the Bulls in mid-February 2023, this April saw the 24-year-old become a free agent. And Sacramento’s GM Monte McNair, looking for a certain archetype, found the perfect fit in the 6’4 wing.

Having struggled against opponents in the 2023-24 season, it was a glaring weakness the franchise was looking to address. Taylor, with his 6’11 wingspan, plays bigger than his height. Per Basketball Reference, he plays 65% of his minutes at power forward and 35% at center. Considering Kevin Huerter’s return is still up in the air, the ‘Beam Team’ is stretched thin behind DeMar DeRozan and Keegan Murray. And Terry Taylor would fit right in.

Then again, he would fit anywhere.

Recognizing his skills early on, high school coach of Terry Taylor predicted great things for his future

Taylor was one of the state’s top players during his time in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The hooper in him only cared about the team. Not focused on individual statistics, a young Terry always wanted to know what more he could do to help his team win titles. And in doing so, the 2x OVC Player of the Year had also created quite a brilliant resume.

In his four seasons with Bowling Green High School, Taylor led the Purples to four straight Kentucky High School Athletics Association Sweet 16s, putting up 1,704 points and 1,130 rebounds. The team had a 127-18 record during his time with the Purples.

“I’ve been a high school basketball coach for 27 years and I have not seen a kid who has worked on his craft, has been as dedicated as he has since I’ve known him,” D.G. Sherrill, BGHS head coach said in 2022. And it seems these qualities had led him to predict a bright future for the Kentucky native.

“He’ll be a 10-12 year vet in the NBA because Terry’s going to help teams win, he’s going to do the things no one else on the team wants to do, he’s going to do it very quietly, very modestly but he’s going to do it very well. He belongs … There’s no end to the amount of work he’ll put in, it’s infinite of how much work he puts in and how much he really wants this. When you have a kid that’s still this hungry and still this humble, the opportunities are limitless.”

The sheer trust and confidence that this man has in Terry Taylor was clearly not groundless. Terry played the biggest minutes of his NBA career (to date) in the 2021-22 season with Indiana. In 33 games, he averaged 9.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting a brilliant 61.4% from the field and 31.6% from the three.

In his following seasons with the Pacers and Bulls, Taylor saw limited minutes on the floor. But when he did suit up, No. 32 gave it his all. And while his three-point shooting is nothing to boast about, the Kings don’t need any more scorers. What they do need is someone who can stay near the basket for easy dunks or grab rebounds for put-backs, which Terry does very well.

So, yes, the Sacramento Kings did stumble on a gem. But what has he got to do with the other ‘Terry Taylor’ mentioned in the introduction?

The ‘Red Rooster’ and the Kings’ new signee share nothing but the same name

Yup, you read that right. Paul Worden Taylor III better known as Terry Taylor in the wrestling world is a retired professional, well, wrestler. In the era of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Bryan Daniels, and more, Taylor might not be too familiar a name. But at least a few would have heard of the infamous “Red Rooster” gimmick.

The persona assigned to Taylor at the height of his popularity was that of a prideful wrestler but was presented as cocky and foolish. Although the highly talented Terry tried his best to make it work, the gimmick hindered rather than helped his career take off. However, the man was multi-talented and he saw to it that he stayed close to the sport.

And it often led to criticism from his colleagues. Taylor doubled as an executive, working and shining in quite a lot of backstage decisions. During his time in WCW in this post,  Eric Bischoff, a professional wrestling booker, admitted in his 83 Weeks Podcast that he suspected the now-69-year-old of leaking information to dirt sheet writers.

As for another criticism, it was of none other than the above-mentioned gimmick. While a lot of his fans and a few critics argued that the ‘Red Rooster’ destroyed the career of a promising wrestler, Bruce Pritchard, who works as Executive Director – CWT for WWE, thinks otherwise. He said that the problem was not with the gimmick. Rather, the issue was that Terry Taylor hadn’t fully embraced the persona. He didn’t do the character justice.

Whatever the case, the man is well past his prime. And he seems content to work fully behind the scenes now, having gained respect as an agent and trainer.