Andrew Bynum is suing his former next door neighbors, saying they harassed him for years and objected to his race. The neighbors hit back with a countersuit full of accusations of their own.
The Philadelphia 76ers center, who spent his first seven seasons with the Lakers, bought a home in Westchester, California, near the Lakers’ practice facility. In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Bynum says the couple next door made his life miserable from the time he moved in.
According to his suit, the neighbors objected to his “profession, his race, his friends, his cars and his taste in music.” He says they threw coins at his Ferrari and chipped the paint, yelled at him about his music and banged on the side of his house with a long stick.
The neighbors didn’t take it quietly. They filed a countersuit painting Bynum as the neighbor from hell. They also say he sued first to get ahead of a lawsuit they were already planning to file against him. “Andrew Bynum is a great basketball player and a terrible neighbor,” the countersuit says, accusing him of acting like being an All Star entitles him to “party like a rock star” in a quiet neighborhood.
In their filing, the couple claims Andrew Bynum:
Flashed firearms to intimidate them.
Apparently used drugs and let weed smoke drift into their home.
Blasted loud, profane rap music, including Trina’s “Currency.”
Played video games at window shaking volumes.
Let his dogs run loose through the neighborhood.
Raced his luxury cars at dangerous speeds.
Bynum denies all of it. According to his court filings, the couple has since sold their house, so they aren’t even neighbors anymore.
The timing isn’t great for Bynum. He still hasn’t played a game for the Sixers since the trade, because of ongoing problems with his knees. He has plenty of time for court, though.
One last thing. Somebody who can name the exact Trina song blasting next door is paying closer attention to his music than they’re letting on. Just saying.
