It’s stories like these that fill our days and our hearts as NBA fans as we wait for the return of game action following All-Star Weekend.
Remember when Andrew Bynum went to Philly, got injured while bowling, then made a half ass effort at rehab? We already know when Bynum was supposed to be rehabbing he was spotted salsa dancing in spain, shooting hoops at Dave & Busters, and going to parties dressed as a pimp. All the while collecting a pretty hefty pay check from the Sixers organization.
But how about his ability to act responsibly while driving a car? Back in LA during his time with the Lakers, there were many reports of Bynum sightings driving his BMW around like a maniac. One of the best was when Bynum was caught by a grocery store security camera parking his BMW in a handicapped spot while he shopped. The man has no shame. Apparently his poor driving record followed him to Philly. This story from ESPN’s Pablo Torre during a feature article on the Philadelphia 76ers past, present, and future had a nugget of hilarity on Bynum….
The Sixers finished 34-48 that 2012-13 season, tying for last in the division. Worst of all, Bynum wound up recording more bowling-related season-ending arthroscopic knee surgeries (one) than games played in a 76ers jersey.
Their would-be star was a hazardous fit — sometimes even literally. One day, memorably, the rehabbing big man parked next to Aaron Barzilai, DiLeo’s newly hired director of basketball analytics, in the parking lot of the team facility at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. As Bynum shuffled inside, Barzilai noticed something on their would-be star’s custom black Ferrari and called after him. Bynum, it turned out, had driven away from a gas station without removing the pump’s nozzle and eight-?foot rubber hose, which he’d dragged, pythonlike, through the street. (via ESPN)
Can you imagine how reckless and fast you need to be driving your Ferrari, to pull out of a gas station and literally rip the gas hose in half while the handle remains nestled perfectly in your gas tank? And then proceed to never look in your side mirrors even once on your way to the rehab facility to see a hose dangling there?
Classic Bynum. Your stories will be missed.
