Andrew Bynum
From Hoopedia
Andrew Bynum (born October 27, 1987, in Plainsboro, New Jersey) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. Bynum is listed as 7'0" and 275 lbs and plays center. When the 2007-08 season began, he was the youngest player in the NBA.
High School
Bynum originally attended West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North in Plainsboro, but then transfered to Solebury School in New Hope (Pennsylvania) after his freshman year. He later attended St. Joseph High School, in Metuchen, New Jersey. As a senior, he averaged 32 points, 26 rebounds and nearly 10 blocked shots per game.
On November 2, 2005, during the Lakers season opener against the Denver Nuggets, Andrew Bynum played six minutes and became the youngest player ever to play in an NBA game at 18 years and 6 days old. During the game, Bynum missed his two field goal attempts but had two rebounds and two blocked shots. This record will likely last for the foreseeable future, as the new collective bargaining agreement between NBA owners and the NBA Players' Association requires players entering the draft to be at least one year removed from the graduation of their high school class and reach age 19 no later than December 31 of the calendar year of the draft.
A memorable sequence of events took place in a game against the Miami Heat on January 16, 2006, beginning when Shaquille O'Neal dunked over Bynum, knocking the rookie to the floor. On the next play, Bynum got the ball in the low post, faked right, then spun left around O'Neal and dunked the ball. He celebrated as he ran down the court and pushed O'Neal, who retaliated by swinging an arm into Bynum's upper chest. Both players received technical fouls for the incident.
After selecting him in the draft, the Lakers hired Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as a special assistant to work with the team's big men, especially Bynum. With Lakers centers Chris Mihm and Kwame Brown injured at the start of the 2006-07 season, Bynum served as their starting center for the beginning of the season. He has surprised many with how quickly his skills have developed.
Mitch Kupchak, General Manager of the Lakers, put to rest rumors of the team trading Bynum by commenting "we're not going to trade Andrew."
07-08
During the 2007-08 season Bynum excelled tremendously. He averaged 13.1ppg and 10.2 rpg. His season was cut short because of an injury, but he is expected to return in March. He should excel down low with the new addition of Pau Gasol.
Career Highlights
- Posted 20 points, a career high against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 7, 2006.
- Posted a career high 7 blocks and a career high 16 rebounds against the Charlotte Bobcats on January 26, 2007.
