Roland Taylor

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., Taylor attended La Salle University before joining the American Basketball Association in 1969. He spent his first year with the Washington Capitals, then moved to the Virginia Squires, where he played the prime of his career, recording 3,495 points, 1,737 assists, and 1,715 rebounds across five seasons. Taylor was regarded as one of the few outstanding defensive players in a league known primarily for its run-and-gun style. With the Squires he played alongside former and future NBA standouts including Adrian Smith, "Jumbo" Jim Eakins, and Julius "Doctor J" Erving. For a season and a half he 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 moniker. Taylor spent one season in the NBA, with the Denver Nuggets in 1976–77, and retired in 1977 with combined ABA/NBA totals of 5,098 points, 2,563 assists, and 2,524 rebounds.