Billy Baron


William James Baron is an American professional basketball player for Zenit Saint Petersburg of the VTB United League and the EuroLeague. He is a 1.88 m tall combo guard.

High school

Baron attended and played high school basketball at Bishop Hendricken High School, in Warwick, Rhode Island, and at Worcester Academy, in Worcester, Massachusetts.

College career

Baron began his college basketball career with Virginia. He then played college basketball with Rhode Island. He finished his college basketball career with the Canisius Golden Griffins, in 2014. He was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year, of the 2013–14 season and he was also named to the All-MAAC First Team in 2013 and 2014.

Professional career

Baron played with the Chicago Bulls' summer league squad, in the 2014 NBA Summer League. He then began his pro career in 2014, with the Lithuanian club Lietuvos rytas Vilnius, playing in the Lithuanian League and the European-wide 2nd-tier level EuroCup. He then played with the Detroit Pistons' summer league squad, in the 2015 NBA Summer League.
He joined the Belgian club Spirou Charleroi in 2015, playing in the Belgian League and the EuroCup. He then moved to the Spanish club UCAM Murcia, in 2016, where he played in the Spanish League and the EuroCup. He moved to Turkey in 2017, signing with the Turkish Super League club Eskişehir Basket.
In July 2018, he moved to Serbia and signed with Crvena zvezda for the 2018–19 season. With the Zvezda, he won the Adriatic SuperCup and the Adriatic League in 2019, becoming the ABA League Finals MVP. In June 2019, he extended the contract with the Zvezda for one more year.
On July 15, 2020, Baron signed with Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg.

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, where he won a gold medal.

Personal

Baron is the son of former Canisius basketball head coach, Jim Baron, and the younger brother of the professional basketball player, Jimmy Baron.