Lakers Andrew Bynum Fined & Suspended 5 Games Without Pay, Total Damage=$702,272

When I saw the Lakers get swept in Game 4 of their recent playoff series versus the Dallas Mavericks it was the most embarrassing display of poor sportsmanship I had seen since Ron Artest climbed into the stands a few years back. Ironically, it was Artest that escorted a heated Bynum off of the floor when he was ejected in the game that extinguished any 3-peat hopes the Lakers may have had.

With a little over 8 minutes to play the Lakers were down by 32 and the Mavericks were about to add two more points to that deficit as 6-foot J.J. Barea sliced through defenders for what seemed to be an uncontested layup. That is until 7-foot 280lb Andrew Bynum closed in and threw an elbow into the ribs of a mid-air Barea sending him to the floor in pain. Bynum was immediately ejected from the game and since then, has apologized for his actions.

“My actions … don’t represent me, my upbringing, this franchise or any of the Laker fans out there that want to watch us and want us to succeed,” Bynum said. “Furthermore, and more importantly, I want to actually apologize to J.J. Barea for doing that. I’m just glad that he wasn’t seriously injured in the event and all I can say is, I’ve looked at [the replay], it’s terrible and it definitely won’t be happening again.”

Too bad for Bynum because even though he apologized publicly, his "I'm sorry" didn't stop the league from handing down a suspension for the first 5 games of next season, without pay. They also slapped Bynum with a $25,000 fine for “removing his jersey and the manner in which he left the court" when he was ejected.

Grand total for all infractions = $702,272

In case you missed the priceless foul committed by Bynum, watch it here now!