Celeste Taylor Net Worth, Salary and Professional Career

As a guard, Celeste Taylor is a top-notch player who can excel in any fundamental stats, whether it be scoring, rebounding, or assist average. However, the slight average above four in terms of defensive prowess and an almost 11 points per game average in college established her separate identity in the collegiate world. That's why she was even able to make it to the league, although the numbers are still not enough to satisfy the squad that she originally joined.

Currently, the Phoenix Mercury have taken their chance on the player for a year. If Celeste's performance hits the mark in the 2025 season, there are chances that she will receive a multi-year extension. However, till then, let's just go through the journey of this baller who has evolved from scratch to the WNBA world.

Celeste Taylor Early Life

Celeste Taylor was born on June 20, 2001, in Queens, New York. With her full name of Celeste Yvonne Taylor, she grew up in a Colombian household. Jaime and Lucy Ospina housed nine family members in a three-bedroom apartment, who traditionally were maternal grandparents of Celeste. That's where she developed the values of hard work and perseverance to go on and maintain the values despite going up in one's life.

Surprisingly, Celeste's talents developed when her PE teacher noticed her knack for athleticism. Moreover, she also had a Spanish fluency, as usual, that kept her connected to her cultural roots. That's what helps her on the international platforms, where the language acts as a big barrier sometimes.

Celeste Taylor Personal Information

Celeste Taylor's personal profile must be explored first to know more about the guard on a professional as well as a personal level. Moreover, it will also give you a general idea about this athlete who climbed her way up through ladder of success.

Celeste Taylor Personal Life

Celeste Taylor was born in Queens, New York, to parents Alex and Selene Navarro. Moreover, she also has one brother and two sisters. It is worth noting that Taylor's maternal grandparents are Colombian immigrants. She grew up in a family of nine, including her grandparents, in a three-bedroom apartment. Due to her cultural background, Celeste is fluent in Spanish and has even visited Colombia.

She is also the granddaughter of Jaime and Lucy Ospina. So it is clear that Celeste is closely connected to her Colombian roots. It not only kept her down to earth but also aware of the humble beginnings from where she started her journey.

Celeste Taylor Boyfriend

There is no information available about Celeste Taylor's involvement in a romantic relationship with any boy or any athlete from her college. She is just a fresh athlete coming off from college and yet to make a mark in the WNBA. So the prime motive for her at the present juncture is to make the best of her opportunities and not focus on any kind of romantic relationships.

Celeste Taylor Parents

Celeste Taylor was born to Alex and Selene Navarro. Moreover, Celeste also has a brother, Isaiah, and two sisters, Alexis and Ariel, in her family. Taylor's parents got to know about her talent when a PE teacher said to her mother, as per Esquina, "You know what she can do? She surpasses all the boys in her class. And when she runs, she outruns all of them.”

Even Selene talked about her daughter in the interview, stating, "She has a strong mind to be able to be successful. I think a lot of it too is because she wants to be able to give us a better life than what we had when we were younger.” It was Celeste's own drive that led her to the professional basketball world, but her parents supported her throughout this relentless pursuit for her own betterment.

Celeste Taylor Contract

The Indiana Fever signed Celeste for a standard 4-year $297,045 contract after her 15th overall selection in the 2024 Draft second round. It had about $74,261 average annual salary but the Fever roster waived her in June 2024.

In April 2024, Celeste Taylor signed a four-year contract worth $297,045 with the Indiana Fever after being selected 15th overall in the WNBA Draft. The contract included an average annual salary of $74,261. Then she signed a short 7 seven days contract with the Phoenix Mercury and Connecticut Sun, respectively. But the Sun eventually stayed with her through the rest of the season contract in 2024. According to Spotrac, it was first a Qualifying Offer to a Reserved Player from Mercury's end.

As the 2025 offseason approached, Celeste agreed to a 1 year, $66,079 contract with the Phoenix Mercury on January 24, 2025. It is worth noting that Taylor is on a non-guaranteed training camp contract with the Mercury for the upcoming season.

Celeste Taylor's Salary

Celeste is expected to receive a salary of about $66,079 under the conditions of an unguaranteed contract. Notably, we have also compiled all the salaries that Celeste Taylor earned from other teams and what she is estimated to earn in the upcoming season. So let's move ahead with our tabular categorization as per Spotrac.

Celeste Taylor Net Worth

Celeste Taylor is estimated to have a net worth between $100,000 and $150,000. Moreover, as per On3 data, Taylor has a value of $37K around her NIL deals and endorsements. The first NIL deal that Celeste is part of is a team deal that was signed with Elk + Elk in August 2023, which is an Ohio personal injury law firm. Moreover, she also has a reported deal with Little Words Project and Bumble as per On3 interview. Apart from that, there is no disclosable deal from Celeste Taylor's end for the endorsement part.

Celeste Taylor Career

So far as a second-rounder, the WNBA debut is not stable for the 5'11" guard so far. Last year, after the Indiana Fever picked her up from the second round as the 15th overall pick, it was not a smooth trail for her after joining the league. She jumped from Fever to Phoenix Mercury and then to Connecticut Sun due to questionable potential. Currently, she is on a short contract with the Mercury. So let's figure out how Celeste Taylor paved her path to the world of WNBA from the world of high school basketball.

Celeste Taylor High School Career

Celeste Taylor kicked off her basketball career at Valley Stream South High School in New York. However, she made a switch after her seventh grade and went to the Long Island Lutheran Middle and High School in Brookville, New York. It was an immediate success for her because she acquired the starter role on the roster in her freshman season at the new school. She tallied 23.8 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game, and 4.5 steals per game as a sophomore player in high school.

Later on, she dished out 16.3 points per game, 8.3 rebounds per game, and 5.9 assists per game in her senior season. Eventually, it helped her team to win the 2019 New York State Association of Independent Schools Class AA Championship. After her spectacular performance, she not only made it to the 2018-19 Gatorade New York Girls Basketball Player of the Year, but also got selected to the 2019 McDonald’s All-American and Jordan Brand Classic.

Celeste Taylor College Career

Celeste Taylor's basketball journey in the collegiate regime was divided among three universities: Texas, Duke, and Ohio State. First, she played college basketball for Texas University from 2019 to 2021 and tallied 9.3 points, 4.8 rebounds per game. Moreover, she also stood atop the team record in terms of three-pointers (31). That's why she was also named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. In her sophomore year, she dished out 12.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game. This time, she was part of the All-Big 12 honorable mention.

Then, Celeste made a switch to Duke University, where she averaged 11 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game as a junior. Her senior year was a decorated year for her in which she earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year and first team All-ACC selection. That year, she tallied 11.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. For another year of collegiate basketball, she transferred to Ohio State and played a fifth season of college basketball there. In her five seasons of college career, she recorded the following stats as per her Sports Reference data:

Celeste Taylor Professional Career

After the Indiana Fever picked her up as the 15th overall in the second round, Taylor played 5 games for them to get only 3.2 minutes per game playing time which was not enough at all. After going through a seven-day contract with the Phoenix Mercury, Celeste played for the Connecticut Sun for just two games. Then she again returned to the Phoenix Mercury and overall played 15 games in the 2024 season.

For the Mercury team, Taylor tallied 3.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in about 20 minutes of playing time. Overall, she was able to average 5.5 points, 2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in her rookie season as a WNBA baller. Here are the numbers as per ESPN archives that Celeste put up in the league in her rookie season.

Celeste Taylor Overseas Career

Celeste Taylor locked a deal with the Sydney Flames of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) in Australia for the 2024–25 season. The move overseas offered Taylor the opportunity to gain international experience and secure year-round playing time when she signed it in June 2024. It was a chance to extend her salary from professional basketball and make an identity on international platforms as well, instead of just restricting herself to the WNBA.

Celeste Taylor Awards and Achievements

As an under-16, under-17, and under-19 player on the national level, Celeste Taylor performed on all fronts and won the gold with the United States team in Argentina, Belarus, and then Thailand. She secured a gold medal in the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Women's Americas Championship, the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Women's Basketball World Cup, and the 2019 FIBA Under-19 Women's Basketball World Cup, respectively.

Coming to her college accolades, she has only hit big in there since she has just spent her rookie season in the WNBA. And there is not much greater development in that year. Here are the awards and achievements on both national and international levels that Celeste Taylor has received in her career.