Kareem Abdul-Jabbar not convinced Andrew Bynum is ready to become a leader – NBA News
Los Angeles Lakers’ legendary big man Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is not quite sure whether Andrew Bynum is ready to be the leader of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The seven foot centre was traded away from Los Angeles earlier this month in a blockbuster four team trade that brought All-Star Centre Dwight Howard in return.
The Sixers have acquired Bynum in the hopes that the rising big man will become the face of the team in the near future and guide the franchise back to the glory days.
Jabbar however feels that Bynum, at 24, is not ready for the responsibility.
“It's up to him to determine how much of a leader he wants to be and how to make that happen on the court. Some people like that position and adjust to it naturally. Other people aren't comfortable with it,” said Jabbar while talking
to the Los Angeles Times.
Bynum has been known to show streaks of immaturity, and had a spat with Lakers head coach Mike Brown last season when he took a three point shot, even though he is not a good three point shooter. He has progressed as a player over
the past few years, but still has a long way to go before he can become the leader of a basketball franchise.
Jabbar worked with Bynum when he was an assistant to Phil Jackson with the Lakers. The franchise picked up Bynum in the 2005 NBA Draft and since then, Jabbar has extensively worked with the big man.
The improvement in Bynum’s game and his growth has a player is credited to Jabbar, but Bynum stopped working with him after a while.
“When I first started working with him, he was eager to learn. He appreciated me shortening the learning curve. Once he figured he did everything he wanted to do in terms of learning, he didn't want me to bother him constantly
going over the fundamentals,” said Jabbar of his working relationship with Bynum.
Bynum will lead a young group of players in the Sixers squad next season. He is the only All Star in the team as they shipped Andre Iguodala to the Denver Nuggets in the deal. This will probably be the biggest test of his career,
and could either catapult him to a superstar or hamper his NBA career.
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