Inside The Heat

Former Heat Player Earl Barron Shows Difference Between NBA and Average Joes

Shandel Richardson

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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Former Miami Heat center Earl Barron was an average player at best during his NBA days.

He averaged 4.6 points and 3.5 rebounds for his career, the highlight being a member of the Heat's championship team in 2006. He earned a ring while playing alongside Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal.

A 7-footer, Barron twice averaged 11 points in separate stints with the New York Knicks. They were hardly All-NBA seasons but he recently proved just how special it is just to play at that level.

Barron was caught on video playing against rec players in St. Louis. The clip, posted by Instagram user daguysstil, is quite eye-opening for the average hooper who feels they can play in the league.

There is a reason they call it the NBA. It's reserved for the elite only. YMCA and rec leagues are like grade school players compared to them.

Barron looks like an older and shorter version of Victor Wembanyama playing against the inferior competition. It was reminiscent of NBA journeyman Brian Scalabrine, who was often ridiculed by fans because they thought he was a trash player. It prompted Scalabrine to travel the country to play against anyone who felt they could beat him. As expected, he dominated the competiton.

After the Heat, Barron bounced around the league. He played in 140 games in eight seasons, which is pretty impressive when considering how tough it is just to make it to the NBA.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Inside The Heat. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson

SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here