In a recent interview on “The Draymond Green Show,” NBA champion and fashionista Kyle Kuzma discussed his career, lessons learned from Kobe and Lebron, and the fallacy of comparing players from different eras.
“I was watching Magic in the 80s, just highlights like earlier in the summer. People don’t realize he was fast as s***. He was fast as hell like he was getting the rebound, up the court and three dribbles, and that’s the NBA now,” said Kuz. “But you can’t compare it. It’s too tough.”
Kuzma played four seasons in LA after being picked 27th in the 2017 Draft.
Though he didn’t get a chance to play with Kobe, Kuz did get some valuable advice.
“The biggest thing he always said was ‘Keep the main thing, the main thing.’ That was my north star,” said Kuzma. “You may never get there, but it’s what you get out of it is what you’re trying to reach.”
Kuzma talked about Bryant’s intelligence and how the Laker legend put the same attention to detail in every aspect of his life.
“Take care of your body, play in every single game, having this type of mentality that I’m here for a reason, this is my purpose,” said Kuz. “Having someone like that early on in my career changed everything for me.”
Kuz averaged 16.1 points in his first season and increased his average by two points in the second, but he soon found that the team’s success would require personal sacrifices.
“When you’re on a LeBron James team, you’re gonna fall in line,” said Kuz. “I play basketball to win.”
The results were a 2020 title for LA, the first since the Kobe Bryant era.
Now entering his sixth season in the league and second with the Wizards, Kuz is focused on being a leader, making the players around him better, and being happier.
“Losing sucks. Nobody wants to be done in April, but we’ll figure it out,” said Kuz. “We got a lot of hungry dudes.”