Veteran Boomers centre Aron Baynes just wants to return to his "happy place" on the basketball court having signed with the Brisbane Bullets for the next two NBL seasons.
Baynes career was almost cut short after suffering a freak spinal injury during last year's Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The 35-year-old fell in the locker room and was knocked unconscious during last year's Olympics match against Italy.
After two months in hospital, Baynes had to learn to walk again before getting back on the court in a training capacity in February.
Having spent nine years in the NBA, Baynes is viewing his return to Australia as a chance to put the past 12 months behind him.
"I'm just excited to be out there and running around," Baynes told reporters on Friday.
"Over the last few years with the COVID stoppages and myself going through an injury, I know that my happy place is being on the basketball court and I can lose myself within the routine that I have going about doing my business daily out there.
"So it's exciting for me that I get to do that."
Baynes' deal is understood to include a provision allowing him to return to the NBA, where he won a title with San Antonio in 2014 and also featured for Detroit, Boston, Toronto and Phoenix in a 520-game career.
The process to get back to the United States is a simple one as far as he's concerned.
"Just going out and doing what I'm known to do, how I play basketball," he said.
"That's what got me to the NBA to begin with.
"I didn't go out there and try to do something that I'm not capable of.
"It's about going out there, playing the right way every time I do hit the floor and showing that I can still do what I was able to do before."
Baynes will link up with fellow Boomer Nathan Sobey at the Bullets and said he was looking forward to both playing with and taking on his international teammates this season.
"We've grown up together, we've seen everyone's families grow up as well," Baynes said.
"That's the ultimate for me is getting go out there and compete with those guys and always look forward to that and now I get to play against some of them as well.
"That's going to be fun."
