Wikipedia

Aron Baynes

Aron John Baynes (born 9 December 1986) is an Australian former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Washington State University before starting his professional career in Europe. In 2013, he joined the San Antonio Spurs, and a year later, won an NBA championship with the Spurs. He has also played with the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors. In the National Basketball League (NBL), he played for the Brisbane Bullets between 2022 and 2024. Baynes also played for the Australian national team.

Aron Baynes
Baynes with the Detroit Pistons in 2016
Personal information
Born (1986-12-09) 9 December 1986 (age 38)
Gisborne, New Zealand
NationalityAustralian
Listed height208 cm (6 ft 10 in)
Listed weight118 kg (260 lb)
Career information
High school
CollegeWashington State (2005–2009)
NBA draft2009: undrafted
Playing career2009–2024
PositionCenter / power forward
Number11, 12, 16, 31, 46
Career history
2009–2010Lietuvos rytas
2010–2011Oldenburg
2011–2012Ikaros
2012–2013Olimpija
2013–2015San Antonio Spurs
2013→Austin Toros
2015–2017Detroit Pistons
2017–2019Boston Celtics
2019–2020Phoenix Suns
2020–2021Toronto Raptors
2022–2024Brisbane Bullets
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Representing  Australia
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Tokyo Team
FIBA Oceania Championship
Gold medal – first place 2011 Australia
Silver medal – second place 2009 Australia/New Zealand

Early life

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Baynes was born in Gisborne, New Zealand to New Zealand parents in 1986.[1] His family moved to the small Australian town of Mareeba, Queensland when he was three years of age.[2][3] He grew up playing rugby league in Far North Queensland while attending Mareeba State High School until the age of 15 when his older brother, Callum, introduced him to basketball.[4] As a result, Baynes decided to focus on pursuing a career in basketball and subsequently quit rugby league. Shortly after high school graduation, he joined the Australian Institute of Sport in 2004–05 and accepted a college scholarship offer from Tony Bennett to play for Washington State University in 2006.[5] During his college career under Bennett, Washington State tied the school wins record twice consecutively, going 26–8 in 2006–07 and 26–9 in 2007–08.

Professional career

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Europe (2009–2013)

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On 29 May 2009, Baynes signed a two-year deal with Lietuvos Rytas of the Lithuanian Basketball League.[6][7] In July 2009, he played for the Los Angeles Lakers' Summer League team. Following the 2009–10 season, he parted ways with Lietuvos Rytas.[8]

On 15 July 2010, Baynes signed a two-year deal with EWE Baskets Oldenburg of the German Basketball Bundesliga.[9] In 40 games for Oldenburg in 2010–11, he averaged 6.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. On 29 June 2011, he parted ways with Oldenburg.[10]

On 24 August 2011, Baynes signed a one-year deal with Ikaros Kallitheas of the Greek Basket League.[11]

On 1 August 2012, Baynes signed a one-year deal with Union Olimpija of the Slovenian Basketball League.[12] On 5 January 2013, he played his final game for Olimpija, as he later left the team in pursuit of an NBA contract.[13]

San Antonio Spurs (2013–2015)

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On 23 January 2013, Baynes signed with the San Antonio Spurs.[14] In his second NBA game, Baynes recorded seven points, nine rebounds and one block in a 102–78 win over the Charlotte Bobcats.[15] During the 2012–13 season, he was assigned multiple times to the Austin Toros of the NBA G League.[16] He made his first NBA start in Game 4 of the Spurs' first-round playoff match-up against the Los Angeles Lakers, and was tasked with defending Dwight Howard.[17] The Spurs went on to reach the 2013 NBA Finals but lost the series in seven games to the Miami Heat.

 
Baynes (left) and teammate Patty Mills in July 2014, with the NBA Championship trophy.

On 1 December 2013, Baynes was reassigned to the Austin Toros.[18] He was recalled on 2 December,[19] reassigned on 8 December,[20] and recalled again on 9 December.[21] On 6 May 2014, he recorded playoff career-high numbers of 10 points and seven rebounds in a 116–92 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semi-finals.[22] Baynes went on to help the Spurs defeat the Miami Heat 4–1 in the 2014 NBA Finals to claim his first NBA championship.

On 26 September 2014, Baynes re-signed with the Spurs.[23] On 20 December 2014, he scored a then career-high 16 points while starting in place of Tim Duncan in a 99–93 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.[24] On 1 April 2015 and 3 April 2015, Baynes had back-to-back 18-point games.[25]

Detroit Pistons (2015–2017)

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Baynes guards John Wall in 2016

On 12 July 2015, Baynes signed with the Detroit Pistons.[26] On 19 March 2016, he scored a career-high 21 points in a 115–103 win over the Brooklyn Nets.[27]

On 14 November 2016, Baynes scored 20 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder while starting in place of Andre Drummond.[28] On 19 March 2017, Baynes grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds alongside 13 points in a 112–95 win over the Phoenix Suns.[29]

Boston Celtics (2017–2019)

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On 19 July 2017, Baynes signed with the Boston Celtics.[30] In a game against the Charlotte Hornets, Baynes injured Celtics teammate and star point guard Kyrie Irving. On 8 November 2017, he matched his career high with 21 points in a 107–96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[31] In the Celtics' regular season finale on 11 April 2018, Baynes led a short-handed Boston lineup with a career-best 26 points and 14 rebounds in a 110–97 win over the Brooklyn Nets.[32]

On 7 July 2018, Baynes re-signed with the Celtics.[33] On 19 December 2018, in a 111–103 loss to the Phoenix Suns, Baynes broke a bone in his left hand.[34] He was subsequently ruled out for four to six weeks.[35] He returned to action on 16 January 2019 against the Toronto Raptors.[36] On 3 February, he was sidelined with a left foot contusion.[37]

Phoenix Suns (2019–2020)

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On 6 July 2019, Baynes, along with the draft rights to Ty Jerome, was traded to the Phoenix Suns for a 2020 protected first-round pick.[38] After Deandre Ayton was suspended for 25 games due to diuretic usage on 24 October, Baynes was promoted to being the team's starting center during that period of time. On 30 October, Baynes recorded 24 points, 12 rebounds, and a career-high 7 assists in a 121–110 win over the Golden State Warriors.[39] On 6 March 2020, Baynes scored 37 points and hit nine three-pointers, both career-highs, along with 16 rebounds, in a 127–117 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.[40][41] He not only tied a franchise record for most three-pointers made in a single game,[40][41] but he also joins James Harden as the only other player to record 35+ points, 15+ rebounds, and 9 three-pointers in a single game.[42][43]

On 23 June 2020, the Suns reported that two of their own players tested positive for COVID-19.[44] In an interview on 22 July, Baynes revealed himself as one of the two players to test positive for COVID-19.[45] Unlike his other teammate that tested positive, Baynes did not rejoin the team in the 2020 NBA Bubble until after the scrimmage games were finished, making sure he completely tested negative for the virus before entering the bubble. Because of his late entry and subsequent quarantine period, he was not able to play on 31 July against the Washington Wizards.[46] After recovering from the virus, Baynes was later diagnosed with a right knee contusion, leaving him out of action for the rest of the resumed regular season.[47] Despite being out of action for most of the game, Baynes was considered clear to play for the team's last game of the season, but decided against it despite the blowout 128–102 win over the Dallas Mavericks, ending the resumed season with an 8–0 record.[48]

Toronto Raptors (2020–2021)

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On 25 November 2020, the Toronto Raptors signed Baynes to a multi-year contract.[49] On 31 January 2021, Baynes had eight points and a season-high 16 rebounds in a 115–102 win against the Orlando Magic.[50] On 4 August 2021, he was waived by the Raptors.[51]

Brisbane Bullets (2022–2024)

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After suffering a career-threatening spinal cord injury during the Tokyo Olympics, Baynes returned to professional basketball by signing a two-year deal with the Brisbane Bullets of the National Basketball League on 28 July 2022.[52][53] In a match on October 7, 2023, against Cairns Taipans, Baynes was handed a five-game suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct, unacceptable basketball act and excessive disputing following his ejection from the match.[54] Despite being the highest paid player in the 2023–24 NBL season, at 37 years old, he averaged only 13 minutes a game over the first half of the season.[55]

On 17 October 2024, Baynes announced his retirement from basketball.[56]

National team career

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Baynes has played for the Australian national team, the Boomers, at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey, the 2012 Summer Olympics in London,[57] the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain,[58] the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China. Baynes was also part of the national team for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, but a spinal cord injury ruled him out for the second half of the tournament as the Boomers went on to win the bronze medal.[59]

Baynes' injury at the Tokyo Olympics was much more serious than had initially been reported,[60] and as of January 2022, he was still recovering with hopes of returning to the NBA.[61]

Career statistics

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Legend
  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
 †  Won an NBA championship

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012–13 San Antonio 16 0 8.8 .500 .000 .583 2.0 .3 .1 .4 2.7
2013–14† San Antonio 53 4 9.3 .436 — .905 2.7 .6 .0 .1 3.0
2014–15 San Antonio 70 17 16.0 .566 .250 .865 4.5 .5 .2 .3 6.6
2015–16 Detroit 81 1 15.2 .505 .000 .764 4.7 .6 .3 .6 6.3
2016–17 Detroit 75 2 15.5 .513 — .840 4.4 .4 .2 .5 4.9
2017–18 Boston 81 67 18.3 .471 .143 .756 5.4 1.1 .3 .6 6.0
2018–19 Boston 51 18 16.1 .471 .344 .855 4.7 1.1 .2 .7 5.6
2019–20 Phoenix 42 28 22.2 .480 .351 .747 5.6 1.6 .2 .5 11.5
2020–21 Toronto 53 31 18.5 .441 .262 .707 5.2 .9 .3 .4 6.1
Career 522 168 16.0 .489 .308 .794 4.6 .8 .2 .5 6.0

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2013 San Antonio 4 1 5.8 .571 — — 1.3 .0 .0 .0 2.0
2014† San Antonio 14 0 7.2 .500 .000 .800 2.2 .0 .2 .0 2.3
2015 San Antonio 4 0 10.0 .300 — 1.000 2.5 .3 .0 .0 2.3
2016 Detroit 4 0 11.0 .444 — .667 2.0 .5 .0 .0 2.5
2018 Boston 19 12 20.5 .506 .478 .722 6.2 1.0 .2 .6 6.0
2019 Boston 9 5 12.8 .571 .333 .500 2.8 .3 .3 .3 2.1
Career 54 18 13.2 .497 .433 .750 3.6 .5 .2 .3 3.6

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2005–06 Washington State 28 12 16.5 .429 .000 .641 4.1 0.1 0.2 0.5 5.2
2006–07 Washington State 26 7 16.4 .495 — .646 3.1 0.1 0.2 0.4 5.2
2007–08 Washington State 35 34 24.0 .600 .000 .660 6.0 0.3 0.7 0.7 10.4
2008–09 Washington State 33 33 28.8 .580 1.000 .774 7.5 0.6 0.3 1.3 12.7
Career 122 86 22.0 .546 .333 .698 5.4 0.3 0.3 0.8 8.7

EuroLeague

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Legend
  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  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2009–10 Lietuvos Rytas 10 8 13.3 .511 .000 .643 3.0 .2 .4 .9 5.5 3.0
2012–13 Union Olimpija 10 10 26.2 .587 .000 .698 9.8 .5 .5 .5 13.8 18.2
Career 20 18 19.8 .562 .000 .684 6.4 .4 .5 .7 9.7 10.6

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Egan, Brendon (6 February 2013). "Aussie NBA rookie mistakenly credited to NZ". Stuff. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  2. ^ Davis, Greg (12 May 2018). "Aron Baynes is the last Aussie left in the NBA – but now faces the monster task of LeBron James". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  3. ^ Baynes and bro' not doing a Hunt
  4. ^ "Improbable Journey From Down Under". Spurs.com.
  5. ^ Bennett: Baynes a man of many faces, accessed 1 March 2018
  6. ^ "Lietuvos Rytas goes big with Baynes".
  7. ^ "Lietuvos Rytas tabs center Baynes".
  8. ^ "Five players will leave Lietuvos Rytas".
  9. ^ "Aron Baynes inks with Oldenburg".
  10. ^ "Aaron Baynes leaves Oldenburg". Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  11. ^ "Ikaros gets Aron Bynes". Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  12. ^ "Union Olimpija also lands Baynes". Euroleague.net. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  13. ^ "Aron Baynes close to sign a multi-year deal with the Spurs".
  14. ^ "Spurs Sign Aron Baynes - San Antonio Spurs". NBA.com.
  15. ^ "Bobcats at Spurs". NBA.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  16. ^ "NBA Development League: 2012–13 NBA Assignments". origin.nba.com. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  17. ^ "Spurs at Lakers". NBA.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  18. ^ "Spurs Assign Baynes and De Colo to Austin Toros - San Antonio Spurs". NBA.com.
  19. ^ "Spurs Recall Baynes and De Colo - San Antonio Spurs". NBA.com.
  20. ^ "Spurs Assign Baynes, De Colo and Thomas to Toros - San Antonio Spurs". NBA.com.
  21. ^ "Spurs Recall Baynes and De Colo from Toros - San Antonio Spurs". NBA.com.
  22. ^ "Trail Blazers vs. Spurs - Game Recap - May 6, 2014 - ESPN". ESPN.com.
  23. ^ "Spurs Re-Sign Aron Baynes - San Antonio Spurs". NBA.com.
  24. ^ "Spurs at Mavericks". NBA.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  25. ^ "Aron Baynes 2014-15 Game Log - Basketball-Reference.com". Basketball-Reference.com.
  26. ^ "Detroit Pistons Sign Center Aron Baynes". NBA.com. 12 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  27. ^ "Nets vs Pistons". NBA.com. Archived from the original on 20 March 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  28. ^ "Thunder vs. Pistons - Game Recap - November 14, 2016 - ESPN". ESPN.com.
  29. ^ "Phoenix Suns at Detroit Pistons Box Score, March 19, 2017". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  30. ^ "Boston Celtics Sign Aron Baynes". NBA.com. 19 July 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  31. ^ "Baynes lifts Celtics over Lakers for 10th straight win". ESPN.com. 8 November 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  32. ^ "Baynes 26 points, 14 rebounds leads Celtics past Nets". ESPN.com. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  33. ^ "Celtics Re-Sign Aron Baynes". NBA.com. 7 July 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  34. ^ "Booker, Ayton carry Suns past Celtics for 4th straight win". ESPN.com. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  35. ^ "Aron Baynes Injury Update". NBA.com. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  36. ^ "Irving's 27 points, 18 assists leads Celtics past Raptors". ESPN.com. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  37. ^ Randall, Dakota (3 February 2019). "Aron Baynes Injury: Celtics Center To Miss 'Few Weeks' With Foot Contusion". nesn.com. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  38. ^ "Celtics Complete Trade With Phoenix Suns". NBA.com. 6 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  39. ^ McCauley, Janie (31 October 2019). "Curry breaks left hand in another embarrassing Warriors loss". NBA.com. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  40. ^ a b "Watch Aron Baynes score career-high 37 points, lift Suns past Trail Blazers". NBC Sports. 7 March 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  41. ^ a b "Aron Baynes scores 37 points as Suns win 25th game of the season". Arizona Sports. 7 March 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  42. ^ @ESPNStatsInfo. "Aron Baynes had 37 pts, 16 reb, and 9 Three-Pointers tonight in the Suns 127-117 win over the Trailblazers". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  43. ^ "Former Celtic Aron Baynes has career-high 37 points as Phoenix Suns win | Boston.com". www.boston.com. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  44. ^ Rankin, Duane (23 June 2020). "Two Phoenix Suns players tested positive for COVID-19, sources say". AZCentral.com. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  45. ^ Rankin, Duane (22 July 2020). "Ricky Rubio back, Aron Baynes not as Phoenix Suns veterans tested positive for COVID-19". AZCentral.com. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  46. ^ "Booker scores 27 points, Suns beat Wizards 125-112 in return". NBA.com. 31 July 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  47. ^ "Injury Report: 08/05/20 05:30 PM | NBA" (PDF). 5 August 2020.
  48. ^ "Suns top Mavs to keep playoff hopes alive, go 8-0 in bubble". NBA.com. 13 August 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  49. ^ "Raptors Sign Baynes". NBA.com. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  50. ^ "Raptors snap 3-game losing streak, beat Raptors 115-102". ESPN.com. 31 January 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  51. ^ Adams, Luke (4 August 2021). "Raptors Waive Aron Baynes". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  52. ^ Brain Windhorst (27 July 2022). "Aron Baynes to play for NBL's Brisbane Bullets with goal of returning to NBA". ESPN.com.au. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  53. ^ "Aron Baynes Comeback Complete". NBL.com.au. 28 July 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  54. ^ Pavlou, Anna (15 October 2023). "NBL slams 'disheartening' breach after altercation". Nine.com.au. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  55. ^ "The teams who could spend big in NBL25". NBL.com.au. 31 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023. ...Aron Baynes, he's the highest paid player in the league this season...
  56. ^ "NBA champion Aron Baynes retires". ESPN.com.au. 17 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  57. ^ "Aron Baynes – 2012 Olympic Men". Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  58. ^ 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup – Aron Baynes
  59. ^ "Bathroom incident knocks Australian Raptors centre Aron Baynes out of Olympics". ca.sports.yahoo.com. 30 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  60. ^ @ShamsCharania. "Australia's Aron Baynes was missing from the Boomers' medal podium in Tokyo. Tough news: Sources say Baynes remains in the hospital with severe nerve damage in his neck, an injury more significant than initially diagnosed, and could miss the entire 2021-22 season". Twitter.com. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  61. ^ "The mysterious fall and harrowing story of an NBA center". ESPN. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
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