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Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Trevor Ariza Reveals What Happened To Lakers' Andrew Bynum

Originally posted on Fadeaway World
By Aaditya Krishnamurthy | Last updated Jun 11, 2024 12:44 AM ET

Former Lakers star Trevor Ariza spoke recently on the 'Forgotten Seasons' podcast about what happened to Andrew Bynum during the 2010s. Bynum was a great player prior to his injury concerns and was never able to recover his form. Ariza revealed that the injury combined with the pressures that come along with playing in the NBA and his personal life took a toll on him (till 1:13).

"I think it was a number of things that probably happened. Again, this league is taxing mentally, it's a lot of things that you would have to deal with that people probably don't know. Plus, having to deal with whatever he was going through in his personal life. Those things can all take you off your course, man. Knock you off your square."

"Life happened, I would say. We don't know if he's in a space or a state where he's cool with where he is. You never know. As far as his game is concerned, he was one of the youngest players drafted in the history of the game. He just blossomed and got better and better and better and better and better every single year."

Ariza added that Bynum losing his mother played a big factor in his declining performance. Bynum was very close to his family, and he wasn't able to cope with the massive loss well, which impacted his career (2:23 onward).

"Not to get too deep into it, but he was very close with his family, and when he lost his mother, that took a real toll on him, like for real. That s**t is not light. You can't replace your mother. You only get one of them. Knowing what his mom meant to him and what his family means to him. I'm sure that had a lot to do with how we don't really hear much about him right now."

Bynum was one of the most promising young bigs in the early years of his career and played a key role in the Lakers' two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010. But injury problems with his knees cut his time in the league short drastically, and he was never able to recover.

Andrew Bynum Showed Lots Of Early Promise

Andrew Bynum was drafted with the 10th overall pick by the Lakers in the 2005 NBA Draft. Bynum didn't start a single game in his rookie season with the Lakers, coming off the bench and averaging about 7 minutes, 1.6 points, and 1.2 rebounds per game. Bynum only played 46 games in his rookie season.

His fortunes improved over the next season, as he played the entire 82-game slate, and started 53 games in the season, averaging 7.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game.

His big jump came in the 2007-08 season when he began averaging 13.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. But a knee injury derailed his momentum and benched him for the rest of the years. Bynum did not play a single minute in the Lakers' run to the NBA Finals in 2008.

Despite a major injury, Bynum returned in the 2009-10 season with the same energy as the previous year, averaging 14.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. He played a key role in the Lakers winning the 2009 NBA championship that year, beating the Magic. Bynum did the same for the Lakers next year, averaging 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks en route to a second championship.

Bynum began to get superstar considerations during the 2011-12 NBA season when he averaged a whopping 18.7 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. Bynum was named an All-Star for the first time in his career that season. But this was as good as it got for Andrew Bynum.

Bynum was traded to the 76ers in a four-team deal that helped the Lakers land Dwight Howard. The 76ers would never put Bynum on the court due to the deteriorating condition of his knees, which kept him out for the season.

He would sign with the Cavaliers as a free agent in 2013, but his play that year showed that he was no longer the promising young center he was during his time with the Lakers.

He averaged just 8.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks across 26 games, which included two games with the Pacers after the Cavs traded him to the Bulls in January of 2014, who waived him the very next day.

One of the brightest young prospects in the NBA saw his time in the league ended with a whimper. Knee injuries derailed what once looked like a perennial All-Star. And while Bynum would attempt to return to the NBA since then, he hasn't played a game of professional basketball in 10 years now. Here are some highlights of Bynum's time in the NBA.