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Only Aussie NBA cult hero Aron Baynes could pull off a move like this.
The Toronto big-man had the NBA world in a buzz after he rescued one of the most embarrassing moments of his career — and turned it into an unlikely bucket that seems certain to feature on Shaquille O’Neal’s deaded “Shaqtin a Fool’ lost.
Baynes had 10 points in one of his better performances since moving to the Raptors, but it was his moment of madness that had the NBA world talking as 76ers took revenge on the Raptors with a 109-102 win Wednesday in Florida.
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Baynes moment came just before half time and started with the simple butchery of an uncontested floating jump shot from inside the key.
His wrist snap was textbook — except for the fact the ball slipped out of his hands and his forward motion travelled through fresh air as the ball popped up a couple feet below his head.
It landed half a metre behind him.
Undaunted at his epic fail, Baynes then protected the ball with his enormous wingspan, avoiding a travel violation by not picking up the ball.
Having put enough pressure on Sixers centre Joel Embiid to force a turnover, Baynes found himself with the ball in his hands at the top of the three-point line with nothing between him and the basket.
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He went on to slam it home and put the Raptors up by five.
To really sell the show, Baynes even stuck his tongue out making his way up the other end of the court in mock celebration of the bucket.
His recovery left veteran Raptors TV commentator Matt Devlin lose his mind.
Devlin explained on air he leapt out of his seat after the Baynes dunk and lost his microphone.
Baynes, 34, has been an enforcer and brutal defender in his eight-year NBA career — but the odd brain snap has also given him a reputation as a cult hero with fans.
In the space of three years, an NBA Twitter fan page dedicated to Baynes has picked up more than 74,000 followers. They were thrilled with his performance Wednesday. It was basketball poetry.
Baynes career even started with an unfortunate brain snap. His debut for the San Antonio Spurs in 2013 saw him brought into the game with just seven seconds left in the contest.
After a howler of an inbound pass which coughed up possession he was subbed back out of the game with three seconds on the clock.
Baynes has been struggling to replicate the red-hot form he showed in Phoenix during the 2019-20 NBA season and has been in a fight to keep his spot on the Raptors starting five.
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