Kareem Abdul Jabbar

The behavior Andrew Bynum has exhibited in recent weeks puzzles plenty of Laker fans. He launched an ill-advised three-pointer that got him benched two weeks ago, and vowed to keep shooting from beyond the arc. Bynum revealed there are times he doesn't join the team's huddles during timeouts. He earned two ejections within the past three weeks against Houston despite the coaching staff's insistence he stay composed. Despite the Lakers' rule that players can't play loud music in the locker room, Bynum has blasted it through his headphones at his locker before recent games.

Elgin Baylor talks almost wistfully about the craft of rebounding, as if it's artwork that has been misplaced or a treasure trove that can't be retrieved from deep-sea waters. He was a 6-foot-5 forward for the Lakers when he took 30 rebounds in a 1961 game against the Cincinnati Royals. He was watching on TV when Andrew Bynum grabbed an equally striking 30 rebounds Wednesday against San Antonio. "When I first saw him, I liked him. This young man had a lot of potential and could be a terrific player," Baylor, the former Clippers general manager, said Thursday.

A 59-year-old West Los Angeles man filed a civil suit in Santa Monica court Thursday alleging that he was attacked by former basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at a Westwood yogurt shop in April. Jerry Cohen, a music editor at Universal Studios, charges that he was in the parking lot of the Big Chill yogurt shop on Olympic Boulevard when Abdul-Jabbar approached him from behind and assaulted him after a misunderstanding over a parking space.

Under Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's shy and reclusive personality stands a man gracefully taking center stage. He did that on the hardwood. Abdul-Jabbar won five of his six championships with the Lakers during the Showtime era. He finished as the NBA's all-time leading scorer (38,387 points). And he capped his 20-year career with a distinguishable skill-set with his famed sky hook. Abdul-Jabbar also has done that with acting. He grew up taking acting lessons at St. Jude Catholic School in Manhattan.

Laker center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, earlier found guilty of two misdemeanor charges stemming from a shoving incident at a shopping mall here last April, was fined $500 and told to pay $840.35 in restitution, Wednesday in Phoenix Municipal Court. Abdul-Jabbar, 41, flanked by his attorneys and receiving a police escort, waived his right to appeal and spent only six minutes in court before leaving without speaking to reporters in a packed courtroom. Judge John L. Wiehn had convicted Abdul-Jabbar Feb.

Welcome to Camp Kareem, a Hawaiian summer getaway for high school athletes looking to improve their physical conditioning and skyhook. Here's our friendly personal trainer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But wait, kids, please be aware that there is a catch: You must be a child of Abdul-Jabbar. And such a privilege can, at times, carry a heavy price. Believe it or not, life is not always a slam dunk for a kid named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Talk about trying to meet some high expectations.

The Los Angeles city attorney's office charged retired pro basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with battery Monday for his actions in an apparent misunderstanding over a parking space in Westwood last spring. Abdul-Jabbar was charged with one misdemeanor count of battery and one count of false imprisonment, said city attorney's office spokesman Mike Qualls.

Former NBA center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and newspaper columnist George Will have been elected to Little League Baseball's Hall of Excellence.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the leading scorer in NBA history, has reached a settlement with Karim Abdul-Jabbar of the Miami Dolphins in the former basketball player's lawsuit alleging trademark infringement by the football player. A joint statement issued Wednesday said the parties have agreed that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the trademark rights to that name for commercial purposes. To differentiate between the two, the football player will be known as "Abdul" for the purposes of commercialism.

NEW ORLEANS — Phil Jackson has a message for everybody criticizing Andrew Bynum . Settle down. The former Lakers coach told The Times he enjoyed seeing Bynum's development, even if it had been filled with inexplicable turns the last few weeks. "Bynum is not quite mature, but everyone should relax and watch him grow up," Jackson said via email. "This year has been a big step for him offensively…nice to see…and when he takes up the mantle as defensive captain the Lakers can get back in the hunt.

The behavior Andrew Bynum has exhibited in recent weeks puzzles plenty of Laker fans. He launched an ill-advised three-pointer that got him benched two weeks ago, and vowed to keep shooting from beyond the arc. Bynum revealed there are times he doesn't join the team's huddles during timeouts. He earned two ejections within the past three weeks against Houston despite the coaching staff's insistence he stay composed. Despite the Lakers' rule that players can't play loud music in the locker room, Bynum has blasted it through his headphones at his locker before recent games.

Former Laker Jamaal Wilkes received two doses of good news Monday. One involves the NBA's announcement that he will be inducted Sept. 8 in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The second involves how the Lakers will pay tribute to him. "We will retire his jersey at some point next season," Lakers spokesman John Black said. "We'll look to book a date after the schedule comes out at some point late in the summer. " Wilkes and his No. 52 jersey will join Wilt Chamberlain (No. 13)

Still a winner Re " Still hooked ," Opinion, March 24 Kudos to Patt Morrison. There is so much more about us than the tragedy of probable homicide or one more mentally troubled pop star. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a caring, thoughtful superstar with top-of-the-line mental and physical agility and ability; our renaissance man, promoting knowledge of ourselves. A true role model with unmanufactured celebrityhood. F. Daniel Gray Los Angeles I cheered after reading this interview.

-- ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports that the Hornets, Lakers and Rockets were still searching for a consensus on the last piece of the trade framework in the Chris Paul Deal to satisfy league salary-cap regulations. Part of the holdup apparently involves Jason Smith not accepting sign-and-trade terms that were presented when he was asked to be part of the deal. -- The Times' John Corrigan details Magic Johnson's recent panel discussion about how urban entrepreneurs can expand their businesses, land government contracts and tap into overseas markets.

Only his number is retired - 33, in the Lakers' purple and gold that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wore to glory on the basketball court. The rest of him is still working away, most recently on his latest book. At UCLA, in blue and gold, Abdul-Jabbar was a standout, an All American and player of the year - and a history major, which has served him well in his literary career. Some of his books have made it to the bestseller list, and this one, "What Color Is My World? The Lost History of African-American Inventors," is a children's volume with adult appeal.

The Lakers are talking to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar about hiring him to tutor their big men. A Laker official on Wednesday confirmed the team's interest. Abdul-Jabbar's agent, Harlan Werner, confirmed Abdul-Jabbar's interest. "There was a meeting," Werner said. "There has been dialogue with Phil [Jackson] and Mitch [Kupchak]. Aside from that, it's premature to say anything at this point. ... "I think if everything works out, it would be a dream come true for Kareem."

John Wooden is dead. He hasn't coached in 37 years. He might be the finest man many have ever known next to their own fathers. And the memories remain wonderful. But like my own father, as much as I would like to go on and on about him to my children and grandchildren, they don't really care. Mention my grandparents, whom they never met, and well, forget it. Wooden is gone. But those who like to reflect on the past probably would be stunned to learn that the past doesn't mean as much to this generation as it does to them.

When Marques Johnson played basketball at UCLA, first for John Wooden and then for Gene Bartow, it was the mid-1970s and it was not unheard of for college students, athletes or not, to experiment with illegal substances and attend parties and grow long hair or big afros and wear outrageous clothes. Tattoos hadn't quite become the "in" thing. "You have to understand the times," Johnson said. And when asked if he had ever ingested anything not legal while he was at UCLA, Johnson paused before saying, "Probably, yes. " Johnson was quick to say he doesn't condone drug use. His point was that the UCLA Bruins recently portrayed as having used illegal substances aren't much different from athletes and students at any time at UCLA or probably at any other university.