Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Criticizes Lakers' Andrew Bynum For 'Ego'

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar criticized current Lakers center Andrew Bynum in an ESPN interview today, saying the 24-year-old All-Star needs to control his ego.

"Andrew is doing very well on the court," Abdul-Jabbar said on SportsCenter. "He just needs to try to calm down his ego a little bit."

Bynum is having a career year, averaging personal bests of 19.2 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, but his antics off the floor have been a distraction. He's clashed with coach Mike Brown, skipped out on team huddles and meetings, and unabashedly chucked a 3-pointer, leading to a benching last month.

The NBA's all-time leading scorer suggested that Bynum's success on the floor has led to his turmoil off it.

"It's starting to get to him how successful he's become, maybe," Abdul-Jabbar said. "I don't know. I haven't talked to him, so I don't know. This is just my observations from afar because I'm no longer coaching with the Lakers. He's doing very well, and it seems to have gotten to his head a little bit."