Will Bynum

William Bynum
Born	(1983-01-04) January 4, 1983 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Basketball player, coach
Years active	2001–present
Known for	Former professional basketball player; assistant coach for the Birmingham Squadron

William Bynum (born January 4, 1983) is a former American basketball player and current professional coach, serving as an assistant coach for the Birmingham Squadron in the NBA G League. He played collegiate basketball at both the University of Arizona and Georgia Tech before going undrafted in the 2005 NBA draft. In 2007, Bynum was honored as the Israeli Basketball Premier League Finals MVP.

High school career

Bynum attended Chicago's Crane High School, where he was coached by Anthony Longstreet. During his junior year (1999–2000), he averaged 22.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game, guiding the Cougars to a 20–9 record and reaching the Class AA Elite Eight, earning all-state recognition.

On November 14, 2000, Bynum committed to play for the University of Arizona by signing a National Letter of Intent. As a senior in the 2000–01 season, he posted averages of 27.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game, receiving all-city honors, being named Chicago Public Player of the Year, and securing a first-team all-state selection by the Chicago Tribune.

In 2001, Bynum appeared in the documentary Preps: Chicago Hoops, which spotlighted leading Chicago high school basketball players transitioning to collegiate or professional careers.

College career

During his freshman year at Arizona (2001–02), Bynum averaged 6.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game, recording nine games with double-digit scoring. In the summer of 2002, on Arizona’s 10-game Australian tour, he averaged 12.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per contest. After participating in six games (starting three), he returned home to Chicago due to his mother’s hospitalization.

In his sophomore year, Bynum appeared in eight games before departing Arizona on January 6, 2003; one week later he enrolled at Georgia Tech so his mother could more easily attend his games. He spent the remainder of that season practicing with Georgia Tech.

After becoming eligible following the fall semester of 2003, Bynum played in 30 games during the 2003–04 season at Georgia Tech, averaging 9.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists over 20.5 minutes per game as the team finished as National Runner-Up. A highlight was his decisive basket with just 1.5 seconds remaining in the National Semifinal versus Oklahoma State, which secured Georgia Tech’s place in the championship game. In his senior season (2004–05), Bynum earned first-team ACC All-Tournament honors by averaging 20.7 points across three games and set a Georgia Tech ACC Tournament record with a 35-point performance in the semifinal against North Carolina. Over 32 games that year, he averaged 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while playing an average of 27.3 minutes per contest.

College statistics

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2001–02 | style="text-align:left;"| Arizona | 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;"| Arizona | 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;"| Georgia Tech | 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;"| Georgia Tech | 32 || 25 || 27.3 || .398 || .310 || .762 || 2.5 || 2.5 || 1.0 || .0 || 12.5 |-

Rookie season

After not being selected in the 2005 NBA draft, Bynum participated with the Boston Celtics during the 2005 NBA Summer League, where he posted averages of 4.2 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.3 rebounds across six contests. He inked a deal with the Celtics on August 19, 2005, but was released on October 25. Shortly thereafter, on November 3, he was picked fifth overall in the 2005 NBA D-League draft by the Roanoke Dazzle.

On March 17, 2006, Bynum secured a 10-day contract with the Golden State Warriors, which was promptly followed by a second 10-day agreement on March 27. He earned the title of 2006 NBA D-League Rookie of the Year and subsequently signed for the remainder of the 2005–06 NBA season with the Warriors on April 6. After participating in Golden State’s Summer League squad, he was waived on July 14, 2006.

Israel

Bynum signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv on September 6, 2006, for the 2006–07 campaign, playing a key role in capturing the 2007 Israeli Basketball Premier League championship. Over 21 EuroLeague appearances, he averaged 11.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, earning him the distinction of 2007 Israeli Basketball Premier League Finals MVP.

He returned to Maccabi for the following season (2007–08), contributing to the team’s runs to the Israeli Cup final, Israeli Premier League final, and the EuroLeague Final. In 24 EuroLeague games that season, his averages were 10.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per matchup.

Tel Aviv nightclub incident

On January 5, 2008, outside a nightclub in Tel Aviv, Bynum struck a man with his vehicle and left the scene; the victim suffered moderate injuries. This event occurred amid an altercation involving Bynum’s brother and other players. Initially, authorities extended his detention over fears he might abscond but subsequently placed him under house arrest.

Following an investigation that determined the collision was accidental and that Bynum acted in self-defense, the case was closed without filing charges. The Tel Aviv district attorney concluded that Bynum faced an immediate threat and had to flee by car, thereby exempting him from criminal liability.

Detroit Pistons

Bynum joined the Detroit Pistons for the 2008 NBA Summer League, averaging 11.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists across five games. He signed a contract with Detroit on July 30, 2008. On April 5, 2009, Bynum achieved a franchise record by scoring 26 points in a single fourth quarter and totaled 32 points to lead Detroit to a 104–97 victory against the Charlotte Bobcats.

On March 12, 2010, he set a personal best with 20 assists during a commanding 101–87 win over the Washington Wizards—the first Pistons player to reach that mark since Isiah Thomas in 1985.

Bynum renewed his contract with Detroit on July 30, 2010, agreeing to a three-year deal worth $9.75 million. He further extended his stay on July 16, 2013, signing a two-year contract valued at $5.75 million.

On October 17, 2014, Bynum was traded back to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Joel Anthony but was waived ten days afterward.

China

On December 5, 2014, Bynum joined the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, filling in for injured player Emmanuel Mudiay. Throughout 30 games with Guangdong, he averaged impressive numbers: 22.3 points, 7.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals while playing an average of 32.1 minutes per contest.

Washington Wizards

On March 27, 2015, Bynum agreed to a 10-day contract with the Washington Wizards, and on April 6, he extended his deal to remain with the team for the rest of the season.

Second stint in China

Bynum returned to the Guangdong Southern Tigers in August 2015. Throughout 29 games, he posted averages of 17.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 2.3 steals while playing 34.4 minutes per contest.

Windy City Bulls

After signing with the Atlanta Hawks on September 20, 2016, Bynum was released on October 21 following seven appearances. He subsequently joined the NBA Development League's Windy City Bulls on December 23. In his debut on December 31, he recorded 20 points, two rebounds, 10 assists, and two steals despite a defeat to the Maine Red Claws.

Turkey

On January 20, 2018, Bynum inked a contract with Turkish team Yeşilgiresun Belediye.

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 | 57 || 1 || 14.1 || .456 || .158 || .798 || 1.3 || 2.8 || .6 || .0 || 7.2 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Detroit | 63 || 20 || 26.5 || .444 || .218 || .798 || 2.3 || 4.5 || .9 || .1 || 10.0 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Detroit | 61 || 5 || 18.4 || .448 || .320 || .836 || 1.2 || 3.2 || .9 || .1 || 7.9 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Detroit | 36 || 0 || 14.3 || .381 || .241 || .766 || 1.6 || 1.8 || .6 || .1 || 5.7 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Detroit | 65 || 0 || 18.8 || .469 || .316 || .809 || 1.5 || 3.6 || .7 || .1 || 9.8 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Detroit | 56 || 3 || 18.8 || .428 || .323 || .802 || 1.8 || 3.9 || .7 || .1|| 8.7 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Washington | 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 | align="left" | Detroit | 4||0||19.5|| .462|| .250|| 1.000|| 1.5|| 2.5|| 1.3|| .0|| 11.8 |- | align="left" | 2015 | align="left" | Washington |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;" | Maccabi Tel Aviv |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' '3' '1' ' '.1' '10' '11' |- class="sortbottom" |'style=text-align:left;'|'Career' |'style=text-align:left;'| |'45'||24'||23..9'||'.517'||'.324'||'.806'||2.' '2.' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '

Personal life

Bynum is one of nine children born to William and Rose Robinson. His father, who worked in the steel industry, passed away in 2007 due to lung cancer, while his mother lives with diabetes. He and his spouse are parents to two daughters: Laila Rose, born in 2007, and Aliya Gloria, who was born in 2012.

Legal issues

In November 2023, Bynum was found guilty of participating in a scheme to file fraudulent dental and medical claims against the NBA Players' Health and Benefit Welfare Plan. Subsequently, in April 2024, he received an 18-month prison sentence for insurance fraud.

External links

• Euroleague.net profile