Former Celtics Center Retires After Injury Derailed End Of NBA Career

Aron Baynes hasn’t been part of the NBA landscape for the last three seasons, but his time with the Boston Celtics is still fondly remembered by fans.

Baynes, who spent two of his nine seasons in the league with the Celtics, officially announced his retirement Wednesday through his agent Daniel Moldovan.

“The boy from Mareeba! Representing you for your entire career has been the honor of a lifetime,” Moldovan posted on the X platform. “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. Love you Azza! All the very best in retirement.”

Baynes, 37, played for five different teams during his NBA career and won an NBA title with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. He suffered a scary spinal cord injury while playing for Australia in the Tokyo Olympics in the summer of 2021 that derailed the rest of his career.

The 6-foot-10, 260-pound big man joined the Celtics starting in the 2017-18 season. He helped the franchise go to an Eastern Conference finals in his first season and he quickly turned into a fan favorite among the Boston fan base for his hard-nosed, gritty play. He averaged 5.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 0.6 blocks during his two seasons with the Celtics.

Baynes’ Boston tenure perhaps is best known for legendary Celtics commentator Tommy Heinsohn’s remark about seeing Baynes “in the shower” and looking “like all of Australia.”

Baynes signed with the Phoenix Suns for the 2019-20 campaign after his time with the Celtics came to an end. He netted a career-high 11.5 points per game that season with the Suns.

Baynes played one more NBA season the following year with the Toronto Raptors. He never caught on with another team despite attempting a comeback.