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Lakers jersey history No. 17 — Andrew Bynum
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- Lakers jersey history No. 17 — Andrew Bynum
Through the 2024-25 season, the Los Angeles Lakers have had a total of 506 players suit up for them, going back to their days in Minneapolis. Some were forgettable, some were serviceable, some were good and a select few were flat-out legendary.
During the Lakers' 80th season of existence (they were founded back in 1946 as the Detroit Gems in the National Basketball League), LeBron Wire is taking a look at each player who has worn their jersey, whether it has been a purple and gold one or the ones they donned back in the Midwest during their early years.
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In 2005, the Lakers missed the NBA playoffs a year after trading Shaquille O'Neal, and they badly needed talent around Kobe Bryant , especially as Bryant entered his prime. With the No. 10 pick in the draft that year, they took Andrew Bynum , a 7-foot center straight out of St. Joseph High School in small-town New Jersey.
It took him a little while to grow into himself in the pros, but by his third season, he started to head in the direction of playing at an All-Star level. He averaged 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks a game during the 2007-08 season, and the following season, he put up 14.3 points, eight rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game as the Lakers won the first of two consecutive NBA championships.
Unfortunately, Bynum simply couldn't stay healthy, and he sustained repeated knee injuries year after year. It was suspected that his knee problems were caused by his natural bow-legged stance, but he was still able to make the All-Star team during the 2011-12 season with averages of 18.7 points, 11.8 boards and 1.9 blocks a contest.
The Lakers shipped him out in the summer of 2012 to the Philadelphia 76ers in the deal that brought them Dwight Howard . He was diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right knee just prior to the start of the 2012-13 campaign, and weeks later, he injured his left knee while bowling. Bynum missed all of that season and only appeared in 26 games the following season with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers .
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That was it as far as Bynum's NBA career. One has to wonder how much more he could've accomplished if he had been blessed with better injury-related luck and shown a little more dedication and focus.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers jersey history No. 17 — Andrew Bynum
