Former Heat player Earl Barron shows the difference between NBA and Average Joes

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 over his career. The highlight was being on the Heat's championship team in 2006. He won a ring playing alongside Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal.

The 2.13 meter tall Barron averaged 11 points in two appearances with the New York Knicks. These weren't All-NBA seasons, but he's recently proven how special it is to play at this level.

Barron was caught on video playing against recreational players in St. Louis. The clip posted by Instagram user daguysstil is pretty eye-opening for the average basketball player who feels like they can play in the league.

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

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

After the Heat, Barron moved back and forth between leagues. He played 140 games in eight seasons, which is pretty impressive considering how difficult it is to even get into the NBA.

Shandel Richardson is the editor of Inside The Heat. He can be reached at [email protected]