NEW YORK –  Andrew Bynum of the Los Angeles Lakers has been suspended without pay for five games for making unnecessary and excessive contact with J.J. Barea of the Dallas Mavericks while he was in mid-air and knocking him to the floor, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.  Bynum has also been fined $25,000 for removing his jersey and the manner in which he left the court.

The incident, in which Bynum was assessed a Flagrant Foul Two and ejected from the game, occurred with 8:21 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ 122-86 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals at American Airlines Center.

Bynum will be suspended for the first five games of the 2011-12 NBA regular season for which he is eligible and physically able to play.