Former CSKA guard Ron Baker quits basketball, enters the business world at 28 / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: CSKA Moscow Credit CSKA Moscow

It was a common secret in the USA, but now it seems that the word is out in Europe too. Ron Baker, the Kansas-born guard who played with CSKA Moscow in the 2019-20 season, quit basketball to follow a business career.

Ron Baker

Position:SGAge:28Height:193 cmWeight:100 kgBirth place:United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

Baker, 28, played college basketball for the Wichita State Shockers. Going undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft, he spent 3 seasons in the NBA, playing for the New York Knicks and the Washington Wizards. On August 1, 2019, he signed a contract with CSKA Moscow, but only averaged 2.5 points per game in 27 EuroLeague contests.

He also represented the United States national team at the 2015 Pan American Games, where he won a bronze medal.

In a May 2021 episode of Inside TBT, the official podcast of The Basketball Tournament, Baker indicated that he had retired from play. He told the hosts that he had undergone hip surgery while overseas, and wanted to move on with his life, with hopes of entering the business world.

His next job is as a project manager in Ascension Via Christi's strategy and business development department, a role he says combines several passions — health care, business and the desire to impact his community. He begins on August 30."I love basketball and what it's done for me, it's given me a lot of connections in that world... I reached my dream at age 23, and some people don't do that," Baker told the WBJ. "I felt like I did the best I could for 27 years in that profession, so I can live with that and I can move on knowing that I did my best and made those that sacrificed for me, like my parents, proud."

In his new role, Baker will focus on building programs and managing projects for the Via Christi Foundation and Children's Miracle Network; helping with Ascension Via Christi's orthopedics, sports and occupational medicine; furthering physician relationships; and Ascension Via Christi's sponsorship of WSU athletics.

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