Former Ohio State guard Celeste Taylor was waived by the WNBA’s Indiana Fever on Tuesday, ending an over two-month stint with the franchise. Taylor’s release was a corresponding move to create roster space for forward Damiris Dantas, who had her two-year contract with the team activated this week after returning from a knee injury.
Taylor was selected by the Fever with the 15th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft held on April 15 — joining No. 1 overall pick and former Iowa superstar guard Caitlin Clark in Indianapolis, Ind. — but struggled to see the floor through the first five weeks of her rookie season.
Despite making the team’s 13-player opening night roster after excelling in training camp, Taylor appeared in just five games for the Fever this season, logging 16 minutes along with three points, one rebound, one block and one assist.
As a second-round draft selection in a league that carries just 12 teams, Taylor’s spot on the Fever roster was not guaranteed. She suffers a similar fate as former Ohio State guard Taylor Mikesell, who was selected with the No. 13 overall pick by the Fever in the 2023 WNBA draft but was released that May, only to be signed, then waived, by the Atlanta Dream later that season, then signed and waived again this past offseason by the Los Angeles Sparks.
Now, Taylor will look to find another home in the WNBA, an effort that she previously acknowledged may be a difficult task given the limited roster space throughout the league.
“They always say the easy part is getting drafted, the hardest part is staying,” Taylor said in April. “I want to be a player that stays in the league and not just one that makes it for one year or even for a training camp. I think for me, (my focus is on) coming in and learning the business side, understanding everything that comes with it. It’ll be new for me, it’ll be new for everyone around me, trying to enjoy the moments and stay with it and stay with my faith and work hard.”
Taylor, a Valley Stream, New York, native, played just one season for the Buckeyes in 2023-24 after transferring in from Duke. She started all 32 games for Ohio State and averaged 10.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and a team-high 2.5 steals and 0.9 blocks per game, a statline that helped her win Big Ten Player of the Year and lead Ohio State to a 26-6 record and Big Ten regular season title.
Taylor also secured ACC Defensive Player of the Year as a senior at Duke in 2022-23, making her one of the better defenders to come out of women’s college basketball this past season.
