BIO: Although born in New Zealand, Baynes and his family moved to Australia when he was three years of age. He was a late adopter to the game of basketball, instead focusing on playing Rugby in the small 7,000 strong towns of Mareeba. He began playing basketball only in his late teens after his brother Callum told a local basketball coach about his 15 year old brother who already stood at 6’8″. Quickly, Baynes attracted the attention of nearby Cairns Taipans coach Aaron Fearne with his size, strength and athleticism. Baynes was selected to play for Queensland that same year. Baynes received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 2005. He spent two years year there and played for the program’s state league team (2005).

FAMILY: Aron’s brother, Callum Baynes also played 33 games in the NBL. Wife Rachel Adekponya, two children

NBL EXPERIENCE

Aron Baynes made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 35 years of age. He scored 14 points in his first game.

After finishing second last the season prior, Brisbane loaded up by adding Boomers big man Aron Baynes and veteran guard Tyler Johnson who had been teammates while playing in the NBA with Phoenix.

Devondrick Walker (via NBL1) was signed as a second import and local talent Harry Froling (via Illawarra), Gorjok Gak (via Europe) and DJ Mitchell (via NBL1), son of former Bullets import Mike Mitchell, were also brought into the squad to complement the returning core of Jason Cadee, Tyrell Harrison, Tanner Krebs and captain Nathan Sobey.

The Bullets off-season recruiting saw many in the media pencil them in as a top four team but with the health of both Sobey coming back from a knee injury that had kept him on the sidelines for half of NBL22 and Baynes returning to the court after a neck injury suffered at the Olympics almost left him paralysed, many questioned their ability to stay healthy.

Six games into the season and the Bullets had yet to win a game. Baynes (11.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.0 assists) was far from the NBA player he was 12 months earlier and Sobey (15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.6 assists) recorded his lowest numbers for points and rebounds in five years.

Brisbane then recorded back-to-back wins, both against Illawarra. The first victory (82-56) on the back of a 17 point, 14 rebound effort from Baynes and the second (86-61) thanks to Sobey, scoring 14 first quarter points and 22 first half points, both career highs. The wins marking the first time Brisbane had won consecutive matches by at least 25-points since February 2007.

A two point victory over a strong Tasmanian team (74-72) gave them a three game winning streak, but just when things started to look positive, the decision was made to release underperforming import Walker (9.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists) and fire head coach James Duncan.

Walker was replaced by Andrew White (7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 0.7 assists) and Duncan was replaced by General Manager Sam Mackinnon as interim coach, a move that lasted just three games before assistant coach and former Townsville Crocodile Greg Vanderjagt took the reins for the remainder of the season but the best of the Bullets season was behind them.

Reports of an untenable relationship between Bullets CEO Peter McLennan and Mackinnon become public and during that time, Brisbane suffered two catastrophic losses, one a 37-point loss to New Zealand which saw Sam Mackinnon suffer the biggest loss by a coach on debut since Alan Black in 1989 and the biggest defeat in the history of the NBL – a 49-point beating from Sydney. Brisbane finished second last again (8-20) with three of their eight wins coming against Illawarra, who recorded their worst season ever.

Baynes, who reportedly was a key part signed to a $1 million dollar contract, won the club’s Defensive Player of the Year award and was a key factor the little success the team had. When Baynes played well, the Bullets tended to play well. When the star centre played full minutes in wins for the Bullets – which happened six times over the course of the season – his averages improved to 14.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Other than Tyler Johnson (15.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 steals) being nominated for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award (won by Barry Brown Jr), the season was a collection of underachievement that saw a mass exodus of players at the end of the year.

2023/24
Under new head coach Justin Schueller, the Brisbane Bullets entered NBL23 aiming to rebound from consecutive disappointing campaigns. The departures of Jason Cadee (to Adelaide) and Tyler Johnson (retired) prompted the Bullets to refresh their roster significantly. Key additions included Isaac White (via Tasmania JackJumpers), Sam McDaniel (via Tasmania JackJumpers), Mitch Norton (via Perth Wildcats), Josh Bannan (via NCAA), Shannon Scott (via Cairns Taipans), and Chris Smith (via Chiba Jets). The team also brought in Queensland-born NBA prospect Rocco Zikarsky under the Next Stars program, adding a highly regarded young talent to the mix.

The season began on a promising note with a win over Adelaide (86–71), highlighted by Aron Baynes grabbing 13 rebounds. Despite flashes of brilliance, the Bullets struggled with inconsistency throughout the season. Baynes (7.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 0.5 assists) provided defensive stability and leadership but was unable to replicate his earlier dominance. The team faced additional adversity in October when Baynes received a five-game suspension following a controversial incident against Cairns, disrupting Brisbane’s momentum during a critical stretch.

With Baynes sidelined, Josh Bannan made his long-awaited debut for the Bullets after missing the first three rounds of NBL24 due to an off-season injury. During this period, the Bullets witnessed the rise of Tyrell Harrison (9.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks) and a solid debut from teenager Rocco Zikarsky (3.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks). Upon Baynes’ return, his playing time was reduced due to the emergence of Harrison and Zikarsky.

In December, Brisbane bolstered their roster by signing three-time NBL champion Casey Prather (via Israel) to replace the injured D.J. Mitchell. Prather, who had missed two seasons due to knee injuries, returned to the NBL and reunited with coach Schueller, his former assistant at Melbourne United. His addition provided a much-needed scoring punch and veteran leadership as Brisbane looked to recover from a 7-9 record at the time of his signing.

Despite their challenges, Brisbane secured key wins against playoff contenders, including a narrow victory over Tasmania (90–87) and a hard-fought road win against Perth (79–84).

Nathan Sobey (20.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists) led the team offensively, delivering standout performances, including a 37-point explosion against Adelaide in February. Other key contributors included Josh Bannan (11.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists), who made an immediate impact in his rookie season, import Chris Smith (11.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists), and backup guard Sam McDaniel (9.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists).

Despite these contributions, Brisbane finished the season in seventh place with a 13-15 record, narrowly missing the play-in tournament due to percentage.

Aron Baynes played two seasons the Brisbane Bullets. He averaged 9.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 47 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (815 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.