Aron Baynes

Early life

Baynes entered the world in Gisborne, New Zealand, to New Zealand parents in 1986. When he was three, his family relocated to Mareeba, Queensland, a small Australian town. Growing up in Far North Queensland, he played rugby league and attended Mareeba State High School until age 15, when his older brother Callum introduced him to basketball. That led him to quit rugby league and focus on hoops.

After finishing high school, he joined the Australian Institute of Sport for the 2004–05 season. In 2006, he accepted a college scholarship from Tony Bennett at Washington State University. During his college years under Bennett, the Cougars matched the school record for wins in a season twice in a row, going 26–8 in 2006–07 and 26–9 in 2007–08.

Professional career

Baynes began his professional journey in Europe, signing a two-year contract with Lietuvos Rytas of the Lithuanian Basketball League on May 29, 2009. That July, he played for the Los Angeles Lakers' Summer League team. After the 2009–10 season, he left Lietuvos Rytas. On July 15, 2010, he inked a two-year deal with EWE Baskets Oldenburg of the German Basketball Bundesliga.

In 40 games for Oldenburg during the 2010–11 season, he averaged 6.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He parted ways with Oldenburg on June 29, 2011. On August 24, 2011, he signed a one-year contract with Ikaros Kallitheas of the Greek Basket League. On August 1, 2012, he signed a one-year deal with Union Olimpija of the Slovenian Basketball League.

San Antonio Spurs (2013–2015)

His final game for Olimpija came on January 5, 2013, after which he left to pursue an NBA contract. Baynes signed with the San Antonio Spurs on January 23, 2013. In his second NBA game, he recorded seven points, nine rebounds, and one block in a 102–78 win over the Charlotte Bobcats. During the 2012–13 season, he was assigned multiple times to the Austin Toros of the NBA G League.

He made his first NBA start in Game 4 of the Spurs' first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers, tasked with defending Dwight Howard. The Spurs reached the 2013 NBA Finals but lost in seven games to the Miami Heat. On December 1, 2013, he was reassigned to the Austin Toros, recalled the next day, reassigned on December 8, and recalled again on December 9. On May 6, 2014, he posted playoff career highs of 10 points and seven rebounds in a 116–92 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Baynes then helped the Spurs defeat the Heat 4–1 in the 2014 NBA Finals to claim his first NBA championship. He re-signed with the Spurs on September 26, 2014. On December 20, 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. On April 1 and April 3, 2015, he had back-to-back 18-point games.

Detroit Pistons (2015–2017)

On July 12, 2015, he signed with the Detroit Pistons. On March 19, 2016, he scored a career-high 21 points in a 115–103 win over the Brooklyn Nets. On November 14, 2016, he scored 20 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder while starting in place of Andre Drummond. On March 19, 2017, he grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds alongside 13 points in a 112–95 win over the Phoenix Suns.

Boston Celtics (2017–2019)

On July 19, 2017, he signed with the Boston Celtics. On November 8, 2017, he matched his career high with 21 points in a 107–96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. In the Celtics' regular season finale on April 11, 2018, he led a short-handed Boston lineup with a career-best 26 points and 14 rebounds in a 110–97 win over the Brooklyn Nets. He re-signed with the Celtics on July 7, 2018.

On December 19, 2018, in a 111–103 loss to the Phoenix Suns, he broke a bone in his left hand and was ruled out for four to six weeks. He returned on January 16, 2019, against the Toronto Raptors. On February 3, he was sidelined with a left foot contusion. On July 6, 2019, Baynes was traded to the Phoenix Suns along with the draft rights to Ty Jerome for a 2020 protected first-round pick.

Phoenix Suns (2019–2020)

After Deandre Ayton was suspended for 25 games due to diuretic usage on October 24, Baynes became the team's starting center during that period. On October 30, he recorded 24 points, 12 rebounds, and a career-high 7 assists in a 121–110 win over the Golden State Warriors. On March 6, 2020, he 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. He tied a franchise record for most three-pointers in a single game and joined James Harden as the only other player to record 35+ points, 15+ rebounds, and 9 three-pointers in a single game.

On June 23, 2020, the Suns reported two players tested positive for COVID-19. On July 22, Baynes revealed himself as one of them. He did not rejoin the team in the 2020 NBA Bubble until after the scrimmage games, ensuring he tested negative before entering. Due to his late entry and quarantine, he missed the July 31 game against the Washington Wizards.

After recovering, he was diagnosed with a right knee contusion and missed the rest of the resumed regular season. He was cleared to play for the team's last game but decided against it despite a 128–102 win over the Dallas Mavericks, ending the resumed season with an 8–0 record. On November 25, 2020, the Toronto Raptors signed Baynes to a multi-year contract. On January 31, 2021, he had eight points and a season-high 16 rebounds in a 115–102 win against the Orlando Magic.

He was waived by the Raptors on August 4, 2021. 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 July 28, 2022. In a match on October 7, 2023, against Cairns Taipans, he received a five-game suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct, unacceptable basketball act, and excessive disputing following his ejection.

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

National team career

Baynes represented the Australian national team, the Boomers, at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey, the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain, the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China. He was also part of the 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. As of January 2022, he was still recovering from the injury with hopes of returning to the NBA.