Billy Baron, the smooth-shooting American guard who recently retired, sat down for an exclusive interview with Basketball Sphere.
You could say he belongs to a rare breed of players—those capable of lighting up any defense in just a few explosive minutes of shooting.
In recent EuroLeague history, the first names that come to mind are Jaycee Carroll and Kyle Kuric. But Billy Baron fits right into that same mold—one of those players where, once he curls off a screen, you know exactly what’s coming next… and yet, there’s nothing you can do to stop it.
Baron spent two seasons with Crvena Zvezda, where he left a lasting impact. He played a crucial role in the team’s run to three trophies—ABA Supercup, ABA League, and the Serbian League (KLS)—and was named MVP of the finals in both the regional and national championships.
But that wasn’t the end of his trophy collection. Billy Baron went on to enjoy two successful seasons with Zenit, adding more silverware to his resume, and later lifted two Serie A championship trophies in the fashion capital—Milano.
A “forced” retirement
There’s little doubt he would’ve continued playing at a high level for several more years if it hadn’t been for serious injuries that ultimately cut his career short:
“I’m doing well, thanks for asking. It’s a big shift—both physically and mentally—to move on from playing basketball. It didn’t end the way I wanted it to. Injuries forced me to retire, even though I truly felt I had three or four solid seasons left in me after undergoing multiple surgeries.
Still, it’s been an incredible ride. I loved the game and everything basketball gave me—and continues to give me. From this new perspective, I’m grateful for it all,” Billy Baron shared at the beginning of our conversation.
The basketball Baron family
After college, Billy Baron went through a whirlwind pre-draft process, completing an incredible 12 NBA workouts in under a month. At one point, he found himself playing one-on-one against Derrick Rose for several days straight as part of a workout with the Chicago Bulls. But when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver took the stage on draft night, Baron’s name was not among those called.
Determined to play for his father, he transferred three times during his college career to follow him. His European road started in Lithuania, and as he once humorously recalled on the podcast Sesta licna, returning home after that experience made him feel like Andy Dufresne in “Shawshank Redemption”.
Europe called again—this time Belgium—where he joined Charleroi, the team his older brother Jimmy Baron was playing for at the time. Today, Jimmy works as a shooting coach in the NBA, currently part of the San Antonio Spurs organization.
With a father who’s a coach and a brother deeply involved in the game, it seemed only natural that Billy would follow suit. But as he told Basketball Sphere, coaching wasn’t the path he ultimately chose:
“Everyone assumed I’d go into coaching too. But in the U.S., if you’re coaching at the college or NBA level, you just don’t have the flexibility or time to train your own kids or be around them—and that’s extremely important to me.
Right now, I’ve taken on more of a management role. I wouldn’t call it being an agent, but it involves contracts, player development, and mentoring—helping younger players navigate things I went through in my own career. Those are things agents simply can’t give them.”
“Devotion”
With the time zone difference, keeping up with both the NBA and what’s happening across the Atlantic isn’t easy—but Billy Baron manages to stay locked in on both fronts.
The EuroLeague is unique in its format—it features a full regular season where every team plays each other twice (home and away), followed by a best-of-five playoff series, and finally, the high-stakes drama of the Final Four, where a single bad day can crush a favorite—or catapult an underdog to glory. Baron knows the stakes well:
“This is the part of the season when the EuroLeague really draws attention—Final Four is getting close. Once you’re there, it’s just one game that decides everything, which means the best team doesn’t always win.
It’s tough to predict a winner in that kind of setup, but the Greek teams—Panathinaikos and Olympiacos—as well as Fenerbahce, look like clear favorites to me. Everyone else will fight for that fourth spot. If I had to bet, I’d put my money on one of those three, because of their roster depth and the high-level coaching they have.”
Crvena Zvezda
As previously mentioned, Billy Baron spent two impactful seasons with Crvena Zvezda, and the experience he had in Belgrade clearly left a mark on him. He’s spoken in the past about wanting to one day bring his children to witness the famous “Eternal Derby,” and for next summer, he has something even more meaningful in the works:
“I follow both teams very closely. I can say there’s a good chance I’ll be organizing a basketball clinic with Crvena Zvezda next summer. That’s something we’re actively working on. I want to stay connected to the Serbian basketball community—it gave me so much. I’m grateful and truly appreciate everything Crvena Zvezda has given me, as well as the opportunity to do something like this.”
Partizan
“So close, yet so far”—those words might best describe what almost happened three years ago, when Russian clubs were suspended from EuroLeague competition and Billy Baron found himself on the radar of Zvezda’s biggest rival. A potential move to Partizan was on the table, but never materialized:
“I had conversations with Partizan while I was still playing in Russia. I definitely would have agreed to join them, but Zenit didn’t let me go since I was still under contract at the time. Still, I’ve stayed close in some way to both teams and I continue to follow them closely.”
The “Eternal” derby
This Monday, the Eternal Derby returns as Crvena Zvezda and Partizan face off in the ABA League, following the conclusion of their EuroLeague campaigns.
Crvena Zvezda managed to reach the Play-In, but fell just short of the playoffs after a heartbreaking overtime loss on the road against Bayern Munich. On the other side, Partizan failed to secure a Top 10 finish after 34 rounds, falling out of postseason contention.
Heading into the derby at Belgrade Arena, Billy Baron gives the edge to his former team:
“I’ll say Crvena Zvezda. I feel like they could channel the frustration and the negative energy from the way their EuroLeague season ended, and use that as motivation to respond. So my pick is Crvena Zvezda.”
Kevin Punter
Kevin Punter is one of the rare players who has worn both the red-and-white of Crvena Zvezda and the black-and-white of Partizan. While Billy Baron never made the switch across the Belgrade divide, Punter did exactly that in 2021—eventually becoming the team captain under Zeljko Obradovic’s leadership. Three years later, Punter made a high-profile move to Barcelona, where he recently signed a lucrative three-year extension reportedly worth €12 million.
Baron, who once shared the court with Punter and has closely followed his career evolution in Europe, spoke highly of his former teammate:
“I’m not surprised by what Kevin Punter has accomplished. I remember when he came to Crvena Zvezda—he immediately stood out as a guy who took responsibility and made a real impact. I always appreciated his ability to score in different ways, even from the toughest spots on the floor.
He was always brimming with confidence. He’s been all over the world, experienced different cultures—and that really matters. Even when the shots came from difficult angles, like I mentioned, he had the ability to hit them. That’s exactly why he’s now one of the best players in Europe.
Thinking back to those practices with Crvena Zvezda and the battles we had… I’m not surprised by his success. I think he’s managed to maintain consistency at a very high level for a long time. Looking back at where he started and seeing what he’s become today—I can honestly say I’m really happy for him.”
NBA – where Nikola Jokic happens
Naturally, across the ocean, the NBA garners more attention—and Billy Baron is no exception. He drew an interesting comparison between the NBA Playoffs and basketball in Europe:
“I think the NBA Playoffs are always exciting because the energy level is completely different from the regular season. I’d compare that to European basketball. It’s always fascinating to see how players handle pressure, and Nikola Jokic is definitely one of the best in that regard. I love watching him and Luka Doncic, especially knowing where they come from.”
As for this year’s playoffs, Baron is looking forward to the action:
“I’m excited for the playoffs. Everyone’s talking about the Boston Celtics as favorites in the East and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West, and it’s hard to predict anything different right now.”
“That’s a really good question…”
Billy Baron may not have pursued a coaching career, but several players who played the guard positions have gone on to achieve great success in coaching after their playing days. In the NBA, the latest example is JJ Redick, who transitioned from elite shooter to assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s clear to everyone that Redick is someone destined for a long coaching career in the world’s top league.
In Europe, Sarunas Jasikevicius recently earned the title of Coach of the Year, and Vassilis Spanoulis has followed in his footsteps, now coaching a team vying for the EuroLeague Final Four. Since coaching traits are often visible during a player’s career, we asked Billy Baron which teammate he saw potential coaching characteristics in:
“That’s a really good question… I think Kevin Pangos could be a coach, Devon Hall as well. I believe Shabazz Napier would make an excellent coach. I’ve played with a lot of guys, but I’d highlight those three.
Point guards and shooting guards are kind of predestined for this because they see the game differently. I think these players really love basketball, they’re dedicated to it, and I believe they’d be great mentors for younger players and individuals.”
What is basketball, really?
Sometimes, the simplest questions are the hardest to answer. Billy Baron’s response to the question of what basketball means to him reminded us of the famous speech Matthew McConaughey gave when he won an Oscar—but in a basketball sense:
“For me, basketball is a way of life. In a way, I’ve let it define me, but at the same time, basketball has given me the chance to show who I am and what I am, in the way I try to achieve my goals.
I can say that I’ve been much more obsessed with the process of getting there, rather than the rewards and trophies. I know I’m not always the best player, but I’ve also been aware of my hard work and the way I’ve accepted all the challenges.
That always brings you to the question of whether you’ll face those challenges and difficulties, or whether you’ll just give up. Basketball has taught me how to adapt to different roles, challenges, and the people I’m surrounded by, how to handle pressure.
The true happiness comes when you’re satisfied with the effort you put in and when you reach that point where you don’t regret anything, especially the hard work you didn’t put in.”
The toughest question in the end
Throughout his illustrious career, our interviewee has had the privilege of sharing the court with numerous elite players. So, at the end of our conversation, we asked him the question that naturally arose — to assemble his starting five of teammates.
“I need to think… again, great question,” Billy Baron chuckled before pausing briefly and starting to assemble the names:
“Kevin Pangos and Shabazz Napier as the backcourt duo… Alex Poythress in the paint… Shavon Shields… and finally, Nikola Mirotic.”
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