When Australia's big centre Aron Baynes withdrew from the Boomers' Olympic campaign in Tokyo, the extent of his injury was not well publicised.
It was later revealed that the 35-year-old NBA screen-setter slipped in the bathroom when he left the court in the fourth quarter of Australia's pool match against Italy, falling heavily.
Baynes was rushed to hospital, where scans showed signs of internal bleeding putting pressure on his spine. Then, the 6'10" former Raptors player dropped out of sight.
But earlier this year, in a cryptic social media post, Baynes hinted that he was starting to emerge from his dark injury cloud, writing: "The long road back. Grateful for it all."
His agent, Daniel Moldovan said Baynes couldn't walk, hold a pen, or even hug his own children when he returned home from Tokyo.
Baynes worked out in front of scouts and management from all 30 NBA clubs in Las Vegas last week, as part of the NBA Summer Series.
It's currently the league's free agency period, with many clubs looking for a big backup man like Baynes, to fill out their roster.
NBL analyst Liam Santamaria was courtside in Las Vegas and said the consensus on Baynes' recovery was optimistic.
"There was a big smile on his face as he introduced himself to all the scouts and GMs, he spoke about his excitement to be back out on the floor," Santamaria said.
Baynes' career spans nine seasons, with five different NBA franchises.
He won a championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014 and was most played with the Toronto Raptors for the 2020-21 season.
The 6-foot-10 centre took to social media again, following his showing in front of NBA scouts last week, simply posting "Back doing what I love".
Sydney Kings CEO Chris Pongrass was also watching on during the 40-minute workout.
"I think everyone's hoping to see him back in the NBA … he's right on that cusp to be in the conversation for teams that want to be able to sign one of the best screen-setters that the NBA's seen in recent years and be able to have a big burly bruiser on their team," Pongrass said.
Most NBA franchises had representation at the workout, according to Pongrass, who described Baynes' comeback as "a remarkable story".
"The shape he was in, he was cut up, he was fit, he was moving really well."
Analyst Santamaria was a little more critical and thinks another NBA contract is on the cards, just not immediately.
"There were some things that he didn't put on display, we didn't see him get up and down the floor … We didn't see him do any defensive drills and we certainly didn't see him in any competitive situations," Santamaria told the ABC.
"I think there's the potential for teams to express some interest but say hey, we're keen to just follow his progress a little bit over the next couple of weeks … as he's ramping up his recovery and his preparation."
Moldovan said it had taken seven hours a day of physiotherapy for Baynes to be back in his current shape, and that he would do whatever it takes to be back in a Boomers jersey.
"Aron's going to finish that Boomers career on his terms, so expect his name will be on that list at the World Cup next year," Moldovan said.
