William Bynum (born January 4, 1983) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

and

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

before going undrafted in the

2005 NBA draft The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players f ...

. He was the 2007

Israeli Basketball Premier League Finals MVP The Israeli Basketball Premier League Finals MVP, or Israeli Basketball Super League Finals MVP, is an annual basketball award that is presented to the most valuable player of the finals of the playoffs of the Israeli Basketball Premier League, whi ...

High school career

Bynum attended

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

's Crane High School, where he played for coach Anthony Longstreet. As a junior in 1999–2000, he averaged 22.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game as he led the Cougars to a 20–9 record and helped them advance to the Class AA Elite Eight, going on to earn all-state honors. On November 14, 2000, Bynum signed a

National Letter of Intent National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

to play college basketball for the

. As a senior in 2000–01, Bynum averaged 27.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game as he earned all-city and Chicago Public Player of the Year honors. He was also a Chicago Tribune first-team all-state selection. In 2001, Will Bynum has featured in the documentary "Preps:Chicago Hoops", a series about five Chicago high school basketball stars making the jump to college or the NBA.

College career

In his freshman season at

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

2001–02, Bynum averaged 6.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists as he posted three straight double-figure scoring efforts twice during the year and finished the year with nine double-figure scoring games. In the summer of 2002, he averaged 12.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game on Arizona's 10-game tour of Australia. He saw action in six contests (three starts) before returning home to Chicago to be with his mother, Rose, who had been in the hospital. In his sophomore season, Bynum played just eight games for Arizona before deciding to leave the program on January 6, 2003 and subsequently enrolled at

seven days later in order to give his mother a better opportunity to see him play. For the rest of the 2002–03 season, he practiced with the Yellow Jackets and participated in the team's spring strength and conditioning workouts and individual instruction. Bynum became eligible to play for the Yellow Jackets following the 2003 fall semester exams and went on to play 30 games in 2003–04 while averaging 9.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 20.5 minutes per game as Georgia Tech finished as National Runner-Up. In the National Semifinal against Oklahoma State, with the game tied, Bynum scored with 1.5 seconds remaining to send the Yellow Jackets to the title game. As a senior in 2004–05, he was named to the

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

All-Tournament first team after averaging 20.7 points in three games. He also scored a Georgia Tech ACC Tournament record 35 points in the Yellow Jackets' semi-final victory over North Carolina. For the season, he played 32 games while averaging 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 27.3 minutes per game.

College statistics

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2001–02 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 9 , , 18.8 , , .344 , , .255 , , .650 , , 1.5 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .0 , , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2002–03 , style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , 2 , , 16.6 , , .356 , , .351 , , .583 , , 2.8 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , .0 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2003–04 , style="text-align:left;",

, 30 , , 1 , , 20.5 , , .413 , , .351 , , .767 , , 2.2 , , 2.5 , , .9 , , .0 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2004–05 , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 25 , , 27.3 , , .398 , , .310 , , .762 , , 2.5 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 12.5 , -

Professional career

Rookie season

After going undrafted in the

, Bynum joined the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

for the 2005

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season competition organized by the National Basketball Association. NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups ...

where in six games, he averaged 4.2 points, 2.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game. On August 19, 2005, he signed with the Celtics. However, he was later waived by the Celtics on October 25, 2005. On November 3, 2005, he was selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2005 NBA D-League draft by the

Roanoke Dazzle The Roanoke Dazzle were an NBA Development League team based in Roanoke, Virginia, U.S.. In operation from the inaugural D-League season of 2001–02 through the 2005–06 season, the Dazzle marked the return of professional basketball to Roanoke ...

. On March 17, 2006, Bynum signed a 10-day contract with the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

. On March 27, 2006, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Warriors. Two days later, he was named the 2006 NBA D-League Rookie of the Year. On April 6, 2006, he signed with the Warriors for the rest of the 2005–06 season. After playing for the Warriors' Summer League team, Bynum was waived by the franchise on July 14, 2006.

Israel

On September 6, 2006, Bynum signed with

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...

of Israel for the 2006–07 season. He went on to help Maccabi win the 2007

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional sports, professional competition in Israeli sports club, club basketball, making ...

championship. In 21 EuroLeague games, he averaged 11.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He was the 2007

. Bynum returned to Maccabi for the 2007–08 season and helped them reach the Israeli Cup final, the Israeli Premier League final and the

EuroLeague Final The EuroLeague Finals are the championship finals of the EuroLeague competition. The EuroLeague is the highest level tier, and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe. Title holders * ......1958 Rīgas ASK * 195 ...

. In 24 EuroLeague games, he averaged 10.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

Tel Aviv nightclub incident

On January 5, 2008, Bynum hit a 22-year-old man with his car outside a

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

and then fled the scene. The man was taken to a hospital with moderate injuries. Bynum was later questioned and taken into custody by police. It was initially alleged that Bynum, who was out celebrating his 25th birthday, hit the man with his vehicle after a brawl in which his brother was stabbed, and other players were attacked as well. The prosecution also claimed he would try to flee the country if released. As a result, a judge extended his remand. He was later released to house arrest. Bynum's case was eventually closed with no charges after the investigation determined that the collision was not intentional and that his actions were justified. The Tel Aviv district attorney announced: "It was found that Will Bynum was in tangible danger, and under these circumstances, in order to save himself, had to escape immediately by driving his car. Therefore, the advocacy decided the accident took place in circumstances that forced Bynum to protect himself. As a result, he's exempt of criminal responsibility."

Detroit Pistons

Bynum joined the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

for the 2008 NBA Summer League where he averaged 11.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists in five games. On July 30, 2008, he signed with the Pistons. On April 5, 2009, he scored a franchise-record 26 points in the fourth quarter to lead Detroit to a 104–97 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. He finished the game with 32 points. On March 12, 2010, Bynum recorded a career high 20 assists in a 101–87 victory over the Washington Wizards. It marked the first time a Pistons player had 20 or more assists since

Isiah Thomas Isiah Lord Thomas III (born April 30, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is an analyst for ''NBA TV''. The 12-time NBA All-Star was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History as well as the 75 Grea ...

had 21 against Washington on April 12, 1985. On July 30, 2010, Bynum re-signed with the Pistons on a three-year deal. On July 16, 2013, Bynum re-signed with the Pistons on a two-year, $5.75 million contract.

Boston Celtics

On October 17, 2014, Bynum was traded to the

in exchange for

Joel Anthony Joel Vincent Anthony (born August 9, 1982) is a Canadian former professional basketball player who played for the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, and San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won two champio ...

. Ten days later, he was waived by the Celtics.

China

On December 5, 2014, Bynum signed with the

Guangdong Southern Tigers Guangdong Hongyuan Southern Tigers () or Guangdong Southern Tigers, also known as Guangdong Dongguan Bank () for sponsorship reasons, are a Chinese professional basketball team owned by the Guangdong Winnerway (Hongyuan) Group. The team is one o ...

of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

as an injury replacement for

Emmanuel Mudiay Emmanuel Kabeya Mudiay (born March 5, 1996) is a Congolese-American professional basketball player for the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. He played high school basketball for Grace Preparatory Academy and Prime Prep Academy in Texas, where he ...

. In 30 games for Guangdong, he averaged 22.3 points, 7.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 32.1 minutes.

Washington Wizards

On March 27, 2015, Bynum signed a 10-day contract with the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...

. On April 6, he signed with the Wizards for the rest of the season.

Second stint in China

In August 2015, Bynum re-signed with the Guangdong Southern Tigers. In 29 games, he averaged 17.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.3 steals in 34.4 minutes.

Windy City Bulls

On September 20, 2016, Bynum signed with the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...

. However, he was waived on October 21 after appearing in seven games. On December 23, he was acquired by the

Windy City Bulls The Windy City Bulls are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and are affiliated with the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls play their home games at Now Arena, from Chicago. It became the thirte ...

. On December 31, he made his debut for Windy City in a 117–106 loss to the

Maine Red Claws The Maine Celtics (formerly the Maine Red Claws) are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Portland, Maine, and are affiliated with the Boston Celtics. The Maine Celtics play their home games at the Portland Expo B ...

, recording 20 points, two rebounds, 10 assists and two steals in 36 minutes.

Turkey

On January 20, 2018, Bynum signed with Turkish club

Yeşilgiresun Belediye Yeşilgiresun Belediyespor, more commonly known as Yeşilgiresun, was a Turkish professional basketball club based in Giresun that played in the Turkish Basketball Super League. The team was founded by Giresun Municipality in 2006. Their home are ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" , Golden State , 15 , , 0 , , 10.8 , , .404 , , .222 , , .625 , , .8 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .0 , , 3.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, 57 , , 1 , , 14.1 , , .456 , , .158 , , .798 , , 1.3 , , 2.8 , , .6 , , .0 , , 7.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 63 , , 20 , , 26.5 , , .444 , , .218 , , .798 , , 2.3 , , 4.5 , , .9 , , .1 , , 10.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 61 , , 5 , , 18.4 , , .448 , , .320 , , .836 , , 1.2 , , 3.2 , , .9 , , .1 , , 7.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 36 , , 0 , , 14.3 , , .381 , , .241 , , .766 , , 1.6 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .1 , , 5.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 65 , , 0 , , 18.8 , , .469 , , .316 , , .809 , , 1.5 , , 3.6 , , .7 , , .1 , , 9.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 56 , , 3 , , 18.8 , , .428 , , .323 , , .802 , , 1.8 , , 3.9 , , .7 , , .1 , , 8.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 7 , , 0 , , 9.6 , , .323 , , .000 , , .500 , , .9 , , 2.6 , , .1 , , .1 , , 3.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 360 , , 29 , , 18.4 , , .442 , , .272 , , .799 , , 1.6 , , 3.3 , , .7 , , .1 , , 8.1

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, align="left" ,

, 4 , , 0 , , 19.5 , , .462 , , .250 , , 1.000 , , 1.5 , , 2.5 , , 1.3 , , .0 , , 11.8 , - , align="left" ,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, align="left" ,

, 3 , , 0 , , 10.3 , , .500 , , .500 , , .800 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , .3 , , 6.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 7 , , 0 , , 15.6 , , .472 , , .333 , , .933 , , 1.3 , , 1.9 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 9.4

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;",

, 21 , , 20 , , 26.7 , , .480 , , .292 , , .838 , , 2.5 , , 2.6 , , 1.3 , , .1 , , 11 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , style="text-align:left;", Maccabi Tel Aviv , 24 , , 4 , , 21.5 , , .554 , , .357 , , .775 , , 1.9 , , 3 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 10.6 , , 11 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", , 45 , , 24 , , 23.9 , , .517 , , .324 , , .806 , , 2.1 , , 2.8 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 10.7 , , 9.8

Personal life

Bynum is the son of William and Rose Robinson, and has eight siblings. His father, a steelworker, died in 2007 from lung cancer and his mother is a diabetic. He and his wife have two daughters; Laila Rose (born 2007) and Aliya Gloria (born 2012)

References

External links

Euroleague.net profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bynum, Will 1983 births Living people African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in Israel American men's basketball players Arizona Wildcats men's basketball players Basketball players from Chicago Big3 players Detroit Pistons players Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball players Golden State Warriors players Guangdong Southern Tigers players Israeli Basketball Premier League players Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. players Point guards Roanoke Dazzle players Undrafted National Basketball Association players Washington Wizards players Windy City Bulls players Yeşilgiresun Belediye players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people American men's 3x3 basketball players