<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was a basketball grad student before he even got to UCLA. He played high school basketball in New York, for Power Memorial. "Bloodsport," he recalled. He also had his own unofficial tutors, who noticed Kareem was beginning his journey to 7-foot-4 and wanted to make sure he was equipped. "College ballplayers would come back to our parish in the summer," Abdul-Jabbar said. "They noticed I was taller than everybody else, so they taught me `the shot.' I learned it in the fifth grade. By the time I was in high school, it was second nature to me." Andrew Bynum was drafted by the Lakers when he was 17. He didn't even have a first nature. All he was, was 7 feet. "All I did was get the ball and reach up and try to put it in the basket," he said. "I didn't have moves." He was second-guessed for bypassing the University of Connecticut and signing with the Lakers, and the Lakers were freely doubted for taking him. Then Bynum began working privately with Abdul-Jabbar, the leading scorer in NBA history, a guy who supplemented his rare height and skill with technique. For some reason, Kareem and his championship rings were available. Dozens of clunky, clueless big men, all over the NBA, and no one had thought to call in the best living center. And Bynum was willing. "Actually my AAU coach in New Jersey set it up," Bynum said. "Who wouldn't want to learn from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?" The 59-year-old meets with the teenager for about 20 minutes before every practice at home. They work on the court before most home games. On Monday night they didn't, but Abdul-Jabbar brought some notes to Bynum. Kareem sits behind the bench and makes more notes during games, and talks to Bynum afterward. Growth is evident. Bynum has been playing more, with Kwame Brown hurt. He is averaging 20.5 minutes overall. He is scoring eight points a game with 6.1 rebounds. More significantly, Bynum is averaging 1.69 blocks a game and not quite three fouls. Everyone wants to know Bynum's timetable. Phil Jackson describes it in Voyager-to-Mars terms. But if there were a schedule for this kid, he would be ahead of it. "He wants to learn, and he doesn't think he knows everything," Abdul-Jabbar said. "Sometimes he gets caught up in observing things on the court instead of playing. But he was hurt a lot in high school and played against 6-foot-7 guys. "He's learning to shoot `the shot.' But he won't shoot it in a game. He says he's afraid he might miss, and he doesn't want to fail. He's going to have to miss a few." The "shot," of course, is the hook shot, which is a relic, like the typewriter. But both still work. "The other habit is on the foul line," Abdul-Jabbar said. "He has a tendency to watch the flight of the ball instead of the basket, and I'm always mentioning that, and sometimes he gets resentful." Mostly they talk about the uniqueness of the big man's life. "He wants me to keep the ball up," Bynum said. "Don't bring it down and let people rake at it. If I hold it up, nobody can affect me. It's just me and the basket. "And if I'm on defense, just hold my ground and keep my hands up. I'll get a lot of blocked shots that way, but mostly, if I don't reach, I won't get in foul trouble." At Connecticut, Bynum would be emerging from a December cocoon of Texas Southerns, and the Huskies probably wouldn't be losing five of six. But he wouldn't have met Kareem. "College is good," Abdul-Jabbar said. "UConn certainly would be contenders with him. But you also get to go to class, learn things, maybe try to figure out who Miss Wonderful is, although sometimes you never do." "I'd be playing a lot more," Bynum said. "I'd be getting more touches in the paint. But I wouldn't be playing against the best, and I wouldn't know as much as I do now." "It all depends on whether Andrew has the tenacity," Kobe Bryant said. "He's different from me. He was a little timid, and when I got here, I didn't have a timid bone in my body. He's showing the desire more and more." The feet and the head are coming, but Kareem doesn't worry about Bynum's heart. He sat there a year ago and watched the rookie take a hard shot from Shaquille O'Neal on one end and then retaliate, with interest, on the other. That, Abdul-Jabbar said, was a commemorative moment. "I think the Lakers did the right thing by drafting him," he said. Most young players are overcoached and under-taught. Not Bynum. Whether he can pull a franchise to shore is not yet clear. We do know his swim teacher. </div> Link
Thanks for sharing this piece. I love the work Kareem has done with Bynum, and the results have exceeded my expectations in just Bynum's second year. The NBA in general needs to do more of this. Teaming the legends with the up and coming superstars will improve the product and preserve the history of the game. One thing I've always respected about the Lakers organization is their willingness to keep former players around.
That was a great read. With Abdul-Jabbar's tutelage, the potential for Bynum to become a superstar is high. It's obvious he respects and learns from Kareem, and that's the right attitude to have when a legend helps you.
Great players aren't usually great tutors and there aren't many legends who have the patience to work with youngsters but Kareem's been a blessing for the Lakers and Bynum in particular.
