William James Baron (born December 11, 1990) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He is a tall

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game ...

High school

Baron born in

Altoona, Pennsylvania Altoona ( ) is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 43,963 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Altoona Metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan area, w ...

, attended and played high school basketball at

Bishop Hendricken High School Bishop Hendricken High School (or Hendricken) is a Catholic, all-male, college preparatory high school located in Warwick, Rhode Island, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence. Founded by the Brothers of the Holy Cross in 1959, and named ...

, in

Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States, and is the third-largest city in the state, with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Warwick is located approximately south of downtown Pr ...

, and at

Worcester Academy Worcester Academy is a co-ed private boarding school in Worcester, Massachusetts serving grades 6-12. It is the oldest school founded in Worcester, Massachusetts, and one of the oldest day-boarding schools in the United States. A coeducation ...

, in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

College career

University of Virginia

In November 2010, it was announced that Baron was going to be joining

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

for his freshman season. On February 3, 2011, it was announced that Baron was leaving the Virginia men's basketball program and was planning on transferring to

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of Rhode Island. The univer ...

that semester where his father was the men's head basketball coach. He had played in 17 games and averaged 3 points.

University of Rhode Island

On June 2012, Baron decided to leave the program after his father was fired as coach. He had two years eligibility remaining at whichever school he chose. In 20 games with Rhode Island, Baron averaged 13 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Canisius College

In July 2012, Baron followed his father to

Canisius College Canisius University is a private Jesuit university in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 ma ...

to finish out his collegiate career. In August 2012, Canisius announced that Baron had submitted the necessary paperwork to enroll at Canisius. Additionally, Canisius waiver to allow Baron's immediate eligibility for the fall of 2012 was granted by the NCAA. During the 2012-2013 season, he played in 34 games, making 33 starts. He was named to the All-MAAC First Team and became the first Griff to earn that distinction since Darren Fenn in 1999-2000. Baron scored a total of 584 points, the most for a Canisius player in 28 seasons. He led the team and ranked third in the MAAC with his 17.2 points per game. He also led the MAAC with 5 assists per game, which ranked 62nd nationally. Baron was named the Canisius Male Student Athlete of the Year. During the 2013-2014 season, Baron was an AP All-America Honorable Mention, just the fourth player in program history to earn All-America honors. He was named the Pepsi MAAC Player of the year and earned All-MAAC First Team honors for the second straight season. Baron played in 34 games and started in 34 games. He led the team and ranked second in the MAAC with 24.1 points per game. He is the third Canisius player to average better than 24 points per game for a season. Baron was the first male athlete at Canisius to win the Male Athlete of the Year award in back-to-back academic years.

Professional career

Chicago Bulls (2014 July)

In June 2014, it was announced that Baron would be joining the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

for

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season basketball competition organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA). NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regula ...

after going undrafted. He played in 5 games and averaged 5.6 points, 2.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game.

Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius (2014-2015)

On July 22nd, 2014, Baron announced that he had signed a contract with BC Rytas of

Lietuvos krepšinio lyga Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL; ), also known as Betsafe LKL for sponsorship reasons, is the premier men's professional club basketball league in Lithuania. It is composed of 10 teams, and it is a member of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation. ...

Detroit Pistons (2015 July)

In June 2015, Baron became a member of the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

team. He played in 2 games and averaged 4 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist.

Proximus Spirou Charleroi (2015-2016)

In August 2015, Baron signed with Spirou Charleroi where he joined his brother who was signed to the same team.

Universidad Catolica de Murcia CB (2016-2017)

In July 2016, Baron signed with UCAM Murcia CB.

Eskisehir Basket (2017-2018)

In July 2017, Baron signed with Eskişehir Basket.

KK Crvena zvezda MTS Beograd (2018-2020)

On July 14, 2018, Baron signed with

KK Crvena zvezda Košarkaški klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Кошаркашки клуб Црвена звезда, ), usually referred to as KK Crvena zvezda or simply Crvena zvezda, currently named Crvena zvezda Meridianbet for sponsorship reasons, is a men ...

. He became the first signing of the club for the season. On June 10, 2019, Baron extending his contract with the team to stay for a second season. In his previous season, he helped the team win the ABA League and clinch a spot in the 2019-2020 EuroLeague by averaging 11.6 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per game.

Zenit Sankt Petersburg (2020-2022)

On July 15, 2020, Baron signed a two year deal with

BC Zenit Saint Petersburg BC Zenit Saint Petersburg (), formerly known as BC Dynamo Moscow Region (2003–2007) and BC Triumph Lyubertsy (2007–2014), is a Russian professional basketball team that is located in Saint Petersburg, Russia, since 2014. The club competes do ...

of the

VTB United League The VTB United League () is an international professional men's club basketball league that was founded in 2009. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Since 2013, it is the first tier of Russian ...

after finishing the 2019-2020 season with an average of 11.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. On July 2, 2021, Baron and the club decided to commit for one extra year ahead of time. During the 2020-2021 season, he was recognized as MVP of September-October in the league. He played 25 matches in the tournament and averaged 10.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists. On December 31, 2021, Baron was named the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 18 MVP after leading his team by scoring 25 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds.

AX Armani Exchange Milano (2022-2024)

On June 28, 2022, Baron signed with

Olimpia Milano Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...

Lega Basket The Lega Basket A (officially: ''Lega Società di Pallacanestro Serie A'', English: Basket League) is the organizing body, as delegated by the Italian Basketball Federation, of the top division of Italian professional men's basketball league, ...

. In November 2022, Baron suffered a hamstring injury in his left thigh after a game against Real Madrid which had him sidelined for two weeks. In May 2023, Baron was named Eurobasket.com All-Euroleague Honorable Mention. In June 2023, Baron underwent surgery in his right elbow one day after helping his team in the best of seven finals of the league. In October 2023, Baron had to undergo another surgery on his right elbow followed by a six-week rehabilitation period. In February 2024, Baron was sidelined indefinitely after undergoing treatment and more evaluations for his injury. In January 2024, he had been ruled out for two to three weeks following more medical tests on his elblow. In March 2024, Baron had been ruled out for the remainder of the 2023-2024 season as he was expected to undergo a further surgery procedure to his right elbow. In his second year with the club, he averaged 1.8 points, 2.3 assists and 1.8 rebounds.

Shanghai Sharks (2024)

On September 26, 2024, Baron signed with

Shanghai Sharks The Shanghai Sharks ( zh, s=上海久事大鲨鱼, t=上海久事大鯊魚, p=Shànghǎi Jǐushì Dàshāyú) are a Chinese Basketball Association team based in Shanghai. The Sharks, who share their colors with the New York Knicks, are best know ...

of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier men's professional basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

Retirement

On October 12, 2024, Baron announced his retirement from basketball on social media stating that he had been struggling with injury issues over the last couple of seasons.

National team career

Baron has been a member of the senior United States national team. He was a member of Team USA at the

2017 FIBA AmeriCup The 2017 FIBA AmeriCup was the 18th edition of the FIBA AmeriCup, which is the main tournament for senior men's basketball national teams of the FIBA Americas. The tournament was held in Medellín, Colombia, Montevideo, Uruguay, and Bahía Blanca a ...

, where he won a gold medal.

Career statistics

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;",

Crvena zvezda Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...

, 26 , , 25 , , 24.6 , , .419 , , .403 , , .855 , , 2.7 , , 2.2 , , .8 , , .0 , , 11.6 , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", Zenit , 39 , , 1 , , 18.6 , , .449 , , .448 , , .865 , , 1.4 , , 1.7 , , .4 , , .0 , , 9.6 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , 23 , , 1 , , 20.4 , , .404 , , .357 , , .836 , , 1.7 , , 2.2 , , .2 , , , , 11.2 , , 9.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2022–23 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2",

, 30 , , 16 , , 25.1 , , .459 , , .403 , , .875 , , 2.4 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , .0 , , 11.0 , , 11.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2023–24 , 3 , , 0 , , 15.7 , , .273 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 2.3 , , 3.0 , , 1.3 , , , , 2.3 , , 3.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 121 , , 43 , , 21.8 , , .433 , , .402 , , .859 , , 2.0 , , 2.0 , , .5 , , .0 , , 10.5 , , 9.6

EuroCup

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

Lietuvos rytas ''Lietuvos rytas'' (lit. 'Morning of Lithuania') is a Lithuanian daily newspaper. History and profile "Lietuvos rytas" was established in 1990 on a basis of newspaper "Komjaunimo tiesa". The paper is printed in Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is ...

, 17 , , 0 , , 11.5 , , .534 , , .475 , , .700 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , .3 , , , , 6.1 , , 5.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;", Spirou Charleroi , 10 , , 10 , , 32.7 , , .446 , , .459 , , .846 , , 3.6 , , 4.2 , , .7 , , , , 20.7 , , 17.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;", UCAM Murcia , 14 , , 12 , , 25.4 , , .400 , , .341 , , .909 , , 2.2 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , , , 13.0 , , 9.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 16 , , 16 , , 26.9 , , .500 , , .494 , , .816 , , 2.6 , , 2.8 , , .5 , , , , 12.9 , , 13.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 57 , , 38 , , 23.0 , , .459 , , .437 , , .842 , , 2.2 , , 2.3 , , .5 , , , , 12.3 , , 10.8

Domestic leagues

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%; text-align:right;" ! Year ! Team ! League ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", LKL , , 45 , , 14.6 , , .416 , , .373 , , .607 , , 1.5 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , .0 , , 5.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , , style="text-align:left;", Spirou Charleroi , , style="text-align:center;", PBL , , 30 , , 28.8 , , .453 , , .419 , , .840 , , 2.5 , , 3.9 , , 1.6 , , .2 , , 16.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , , style="text-align:left;", UCAM Murcia , , style="text-align:center;", ACB , , 32 , , 22.2 , , .406 , , .359 , , .932 , , 1.9 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , .0 , , 10.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , , style="text-align:left;",

Eskişehir Eskişehir ( , ; from 'old' and 'city') is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. The urban population of the city is 821 315 (Odunpazari + Tebebasi), with a metropolitan population of 921 630. The city is l ...

, , style="text-align:center;", TBSL , , 31 , , 32.1 , , .453 , , .439 , , .895 , , 2.7 , , 3.4 , , .7 , , .1 , , 15.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", KLS , , 14 , , 20.3 , , .485 , , .452 , , .900 , , 2.1 , , 2.9 , , .4 , , .1 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", ABA , , 29 , , 22.0 , , .487 , , .418 , , .847 , , 2.3 , , 2.7 , , 1.0 , , , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", ABA , , 18 , , 23.8 , , .478 , , .430 , , .800 , , 2.4 , , 2.4 , , .8 , , , , 12.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , , style="text-align:left;", Zenit , , style="text-align:center;", VTBUL , , 25 , , 20.2 , , .445 , , .435 , , .846 , , 1.6 , , 2.5 , , .5 , , , , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , , style="text-align:left;", Zenit , , style="text-align:center;", VTBUL , , 21 , , 21.8 , , .446 , , .426 , , .931 , , 1.8 , , 2.3 , , .5 , , , , 13.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2022–23 , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", LBA , , 36 , , 22.1 , , .488 , , .429 , , .934 , , 2.2 , , 2.5 , , .8 , , .0 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2023–24 , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", LBA , , 2 , , 9.5 , , .200 , , 1.000 , , 1.000 , , , , , , 1.0 , , , , 2.5

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2010–11 , style="text-align:left;",

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, 17 , , 0 , , 11.1 , , .313 , , .316 , , .692 , , .7 , , .8 , , .4 , , , , 3.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;",

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

, 20 , , 14 , , 32.3 , , .404 , , .312 , , .827 , , 4.5 , , 2.6 , , 1.2 , , , , 13.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, style="text-align:left;",

Canisius Canisius may refer to: People * Saint Peter Canisius (1521–1597), Dutch Jesuit Catholic priest * Theodorich Canisius (1532–1606), Jesuit academic, half-brother of St. Peter Canisius * Henricus Canisius (1562–1610), Dutch canonist and histor ...

, 34 , , 33 , , 34.8 , , .439 , , .382 , , .824 , , 4.1 , , 5.0 , , 1.0 , , , , 17.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 39.0 , , .464 , , .421 , , .884 , , 4.9 , , 5.3 , , 1.6 , , , , 24.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 105 , , 81 , , 31.8 , , .439 , , .384 , , .850 , , 3.9 , , 4.0 , , 1.1 , , , , 16.3

Personal

Baron is the son of former

basketball

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

Jim Baron James Edward Baron (born March 20, 1954) is a retired American college basketball coach. He previously held the position of head coach at Saint Francis University, St. Bonaventure University, the University of Rhode Island and Canisius College. ...

, and the younger brother of the professional basketball player, Jimmy Baron. Baron is married to former

college softball College softball is softball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. College softball is normally played by women at the Intercollegiate level, whereas college baseball is nor ...

player Valorie Nappo. The two met in college when they were both student athletes at Canisius.

References

External links

Canisius Golden Griffins bio

ACB.com profile
*
EuroLeague profile

EuroLeague profile
(archive) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baron, Billy 1990 births Living people ABA League players American expatriate basketball people in Belgium American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Lithuania American expatriate basketball people in Russia American expatriate basketball people in Serbia American expatriate basketball people in Spain American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Basketball League of Serbia players Basketball players from Pennsylvania BC Rytas players BC Zenit Saint Petersburg players Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball players CB Murcia players Eskişehir Basket players KK Crvena zvezda players Liga ACB players Olimpia Milano players Rhode Island Rams men's basketball players Shooting guards Spirou Charleroi players Sportspeople from Altoona, Pennsylvania United States men's national basketball team players Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball players Worcester Academy alumni Bishop Hendricken High School alumni 21st-century American sportsmen