Former Raptors centre retires after more than 500 NBA games
It turns out that Aron Baynes’ time with the Toronto Raptors will be his last in the NBA.
Baynes’ agent, Daniel Moldovan, broke the news on social media that the 38-year-old Australian centre has officially retired from professional basketball, three years on from his last NBA action.
“Representing you for your entire career has been the honour of a lifetime. You embody everything we teach young athletes about professionalism, dedication and playing for the name on the front of the jersey, not on the back,” Moldovan wrote on X.
Baynes averaged 6.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 53 games for the Raptors during his time with the team. All of these games were in the 2020-21 season when the franchise played its home games out of Tampa due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He spent time with five NBA franchises, also honing his craft with the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, and Phoenix Suns, winning a title with the Spurs in 2014.
Since last playing in the NBA, Baynes has had quite the rollercoaster in simply remaining healthy, let alone playing basketball.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported in 2022 that Baynes had a fall in Tokyo at the Summer Olympics a year prior while also trying to support his teammates en route to their bronze medal. Baynes was unable to walk for nearly two weeks while the hospital staff tried to locate the cause of his condition, believed to be connected to his neurological system.
“I couldn’t cope. I was like a combination of burning, fire, knives,” Baynes told Windhorst. “I needed the pain meds, but they knocked me out immediately, so I had to time it around the games. The nurses showed me so much compassion.”
Baynes eventually was able to return to pro basketball in 2022, playing the last two seasons for the Brisbane Bullets of Australia’s National Basketball League.