Andrew Bynum eyes NBA comeback at 30 four years after flaming out of league
Andrew Bynum had one of the most disappointing career arcs in recent NBA memory.
Now, at 30, the former NBA lottery pick looking to resuscitate his career four years after playing his last game in the league.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Bynum has hired an agent and is scheduling team workouts prior to training camps.
Andrew Bynum shows goods in workout video
Later Sunday, basketball trainer Chris Johnson posted a workout video on Instagram of Bynum in the gym.
“Project i (sic) had to keep under wraps,” the post reads. “2 time NBA Champion Andrew Bynum is back and ready to make his return to the NBA.”
Taken 10th overall in the 2005 NBA draft, Bynum entered the league as an athletic 7-footer straight out of high school. He started at center for the Los Angeles Lakers on their 2009 and 2010 championship teams.
Clashes with Kobe, knee injury
He was an All-Star in the 2011-12 season before his career quickly fell off a cliff. He clashed with Kobe Bryant, and the Lakers traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2012.
A knee injury cost him the entire 2012-13 season in Philadelphia. When he returned to the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers the next season, his averages dropped from 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds his All-Star season to 8.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 2013-14. He was out of the league at the end of the season at 26 years old.
In addition to lingering knee problems, questions about his maturity and motivation have plagued him throughout his career. Before sitting out 2012-13, Bynum admitted that he further injured his left knee bowling while going through rehab.
Bynum’s game not the best fit for modern NBA
A traditional back-to-the-basket big man, Bynum’s game isn’t a good fit for the modern NBA, even without his history of knee injuries and maturity questions. He’s hit one 3-pointer in nine NBA attempts. The training video posted Sunday shows him running the floor for wide open dunks and posting up a guy a foot shorter than him, not exactly a mix-tape that will have scouts drooling.
But he’s still relatively young and still a 7-footer with talent. If he can convince teams that he’s healthy and motivated enough, there’s likely a role for him on an NBA bench somewhere.
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