Taelon Peter
| No. 4 – Indiana Pacers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 27, 2002 Russellville, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Russellville (Russellville, Arkansas) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2025: 2nd round, 54th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Indiana Pacers |
| Playing career | 2025–present |
| Career history | |
| 2025–present | Indiana Pacers |
| 2025–present | →Noblesville Boom |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Taelon Joseph Peter (born February 27, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Noblesville Boom of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys, and Liberty Flames. He was selected by the Pacers in the second round of the 2025 NBA draft.
Early life and high school career
[edit]Peter was born on February 27, 2002, and grew up in Russellville, Arkansas.[1] He attended Russellville High School where he competed in basketball and track and field as a high jumper.[2] He won two state championships in the high jump and in basketball, averaged 16 points per game as a senior.[1][3] He was all-state in track and field and was named the Class 5A West Player of the Year, River Valley Now Player of the Year, all-state and all-conference in basketball.[1] After high school, he signed to play college basketball for Tennessee Tech in 2020.[4]
College career
[edit]Peter only played six games as a freshman for Tennessee Tech in 2020–21 before transferring to the NCAA Division II-level Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys.[4] He averaged 10 points playing in 25 games off the bench for Arkansas Tech in 2021–22.[4] He then became a starter in 2022–23, averaging 15.5 points while making 44% of his shots.[4] In 2023–24, he was named the Great American Conference (GAC) Player of the Year and first-team All-GAC after averaging 18.5 points and starting every game for the Wonder Boys.[4][5]
Peter finished his three-year stint at Arkansas Tech with overall averages of 15 points and 5.2 rebounds and transferred to the Liberty Flames for his final year of eligibility in 2024–25.[6] In one season with the Flames, he averaged 13.7 points and four rebounds, being selected third-team All-Conference USA and the Conference USA Sixth Man of the Year.[7] He led the conference in free throw percentage and also was the national leader with a true shooting percentage of .724, "a statistic that combines field goal and free throw shooting proficiency".[7]
Professional career
[edit]Indiana Pacers / Noblesville Boom (2025–present)
[edit]Peter was selected by the Indiana Pacers in the second round (54th overall) of the 2025 NBA draft.[6]
Career statistics
[edit]| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
[edit]NCAA Division I
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Tennessee Tech | 6 | 0 | 8.2 | .286 | .200 | — | .2 | .5 | .2 | .0 | 1.7 |
| 2024–25 | Liberty | 35 | 2 | 22.7 | .578 | .453 | .773 | 4.0 | 1.0 | .9 | .1 | 13.7 |
| Career | 41 | 2 | 20.6 | .564 | .439 | .773 | 3.5 | 1.0 | .8 | .1 | 11.9 | |
NCAA Division II
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | Arkansas Tech | 25 | 7 | 26.7 | .503 | .406 | .809 | 4.0 | 1.8 | 1.1 | .2 | 10.0 |
| 2022–23 | Arkansas Tech | 31 | 30 | 33.4 | .437 | .326 | .793 | 5.5 | 1.7 | 1.8 | .5 | 15.5 |
| 2023–24 | Arkansas Tech | 32 | 32 | 35.0 | .499 | .409 | .868 | 5.8 | 2.3 | 1.8 | .5 | 18.5 |
| Career | 88 | 69 | 32.1 | .475 | .373 | .833 | 5.2 | 2.0 | 1.6 | .4 | 15.0 | |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Taelon Peter". Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles.
- ^ May, Easton (July 9, 2020). "The state record that never was". RiverValleyNow.com.
- ^ Davenport, Richard (January 16, 2020). "Russellville's Taelon Peter just starting to heat up". WholeHogSports.com.
- ^ a b c d e Gordon, Bryson (January 24, 2025). "Peter excels as 6th man". The News & Advance. p. B1, B4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Taelon Peter of ATU top men's player in GAC". Magnolia Reporter. March 7, 2024.
- ^ a b Glenesk, Matthew (June 26, 2025). "Who is Pacers' pick Taelon Peter? 'This is why the NBA draft is beautiful because you hear guys like Taelon Peter hearing their name'". The Indianapolis Star.
- ^ a b Dopirak, Dustin (June 26, 2025). "Pacers take Liberty sharpshooter Taelon Peter with the No. 54 pick in NBA draft". The Indianapolis Star.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from NBA.com · Basketball Reference
- Liberty Flames bio
- Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys bio
- Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles bio