Lakers center Andrew Bynum bought himself a special present earlier this month just in time for his birthday -- a $50,000 tricked out Chevy Camaro modeled after the character Bumblebee from "Transformers."
We're told Andrew -- who turned 22 yesterday -- walked into Felix Chevrolet-Cadillac in Los Angeles and bought the Camaro 2SS V8 with all the trimmings, including a special customized body kit and yellow paint job with black racing stripes ... just like Shia LaBeouf's BFF Bumblebee in the Transformers movie.
But Andrew wasn't feeling Bumblebee's silver rims -- we hear he sprung for a set of shiny new black ones instead.
Kobe Bryant will be front and center at the Lamar Odom/Khloe Kardashian nuptials this Sunday ... which means Vanessa and her $4 million ring may have a few pointers for the bride.
In fact, Lamar's rep tells TMZ all the players are planning to attend, but there are still a few question marks. Several have not RSVP'd -- Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar.
Can't blame the non-committals ... it is last minute, after all.
Lakers center Andrew Bynum reportedly took Rihanna out on her first date since Chris Brown last weekend -- but that ain't how he's telling the story....
And yes, Bynum's car is painted in Lakers purple and gold.
The Lakers couldn't win the title without injured center Andrew Bynum, so just the sight of him walking around last night in Hollywood is music to their ears.
While Bynum claimed to be 100%, watch the video closely -- was he grasping for his keys or checking on his bum knees?