Kyle Alexander Kuzma (born July 24, 1995) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Utah Utes The Utah Utes are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City. The athletic department is named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. The men's basketball team is known as the Runnin' ...

and was named first-team all-conference in the

Pac-12 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...

as a junior in 2016–17. Kuzma was selected in the first round of the

2017 NBA draft The 2017 NBA draft was held on June 22, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

with the 27th overall pick, and he was named to the

NBA All-Rookie First Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for playe ...

with the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

in 2018. He won an

NBA championship The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

with the Lakers in 2020 before being traded to the Wizards in 2021.

Early life

Raised in the

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of ...

area, Kuzma is the son of Karri Kuzma, a high school

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's c ...

champion who attended college on a track scholarship. He has a younger half-brother named Andre and a younger half-sister named Briana. Kuzma is biracial. Kuzma met his father only once as an infant, but viewed the father of his half-siblings, Larry Smith, as a father figure. Karri Kuzma and Smith put a toy basketball rim in the living room for Kyle when he was only two years old, thus igniting his passion for basketball. Kuzma has described Flint as "a really violent place

here Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to: Software * Here Technologies, a mapping company * Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here Television * Here TV (formerly "here!"), a ...

there's a lot of temptation to get into the streets." However, Kuzma described basketball as his "safe haven". Kuzma attended Swartz Creek Community Schools and transferred to Bentley High School in Michigan, where he averaged 17.9 points, 14.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.4 blocks per game as a junior. Kuzma sent tapes of his shooting at the YMCA to preparatory schools; Vin Sparacio, head coach at Rise Academy in Philadelphia, saw a , , raw player who had a great feel for the game, and immediately brought him in. As a high school senior at Rise Academy, Kuzma averaged 22 points and seven rebounds per game. Kuzma received offers to play with Division I schools including Connecticut,

Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, and

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas to ...

, among others, before deciding on the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University ...

College career

Kuzma enrolled at the

in 2013. He

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

his freshman year due to the fact that he signed late. He became a starter for the Utes in his sophomore year, when he averaged 10.8 points per game. As a junior in 2016–17, he averaged 16.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, which earned him first-team All-Pac-12 honors. After the season, Kuzma decided to enter the

, foregoing his final year of college basketball eligibility. Kuzma graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation and ...

Professional career

Los Angeles Lakers (2017–2021)

Kuzma was selected with the 27th overall pick in the

by the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

. In a draft-day trade, he was dealt along with

Brook Lopez Brook Robert Lopez (born April 1, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played two years of college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal. Lopez was selected ...

to the

in exchange for D'Angelo Russell and

Timofey Mozgov Timofey Pavlovich Mozgov ( rus, Тимофей Павлович Мозгов, p=tʲɪmɐˈfʲej mɐˈzɡof, born July 16, 1986) is a Russian former professional basketball player. Mozgov won an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 20 ...

. Prior to the draft, Kuzma had been projected to go in the second round. On July 3, 2017, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Lakers. During the seven games he played for the Lakers (starting in six of the games) in the

2017 NBA Summer League The 2017 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. Eight teams participated in the wee ...

, Kuzma led the team in points scored and became a consistent presence during the event. He recorded averages of 21.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game and was named to the All-Summer League Second Team that year. He was also named the Summer League Championship Game MVP after recording a double-double of 30 points and 10 rebounds in a 110–98 win over the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western C ...

in the championship match. Kyle Kuzma 2018 (cropped)

On November 3, 2017, in his first game as a starter, he notched his first double-double, with 21 points and 13 rebounds, in a 124–112 win over the

. On November 17, he recorded another double-double by scoring 30 points, to go with 10 rebounds, in a 122–113 loss to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

. Kuzma was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in October/November. In 20 games, he averaged a team-high 16.7 points while shooting 50.4 percent overall and a team-leading 37.9 percent on

three-point field goal A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two po ...

s. He was the first ever NBA rookie to compile at least 330 points, 120 rebounds, and 30 made three-pointers in his first 20 games. He was also just the sixth non-

lottery A lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of ...

pick to win the award in the first month of his career. On December 20, he scored a career-high 38 points on 70% shooting in a 122–116 win over

Houston Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...

, ending the Rockets' 14-game winning streak. In the following game, he had a team-high 27 points in a 113–106 loss versus the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

to become the first Lakers rookie since

Jerry West Jerome Alan West (born May 28, 1938) is an American basketball executive and former player. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames included "Mr. Clutch", for his ability ...

in 1961 to have scored 25 or more points in three straight games. He played in the

Rising Stars Challenge The Rising Stars Challenge is a basketball exhibition game held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) on the Friday before the annual All-Star Game as part of the All-Star Weekend. The current format to be used in 2022 includes first- ...

during the 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend, and he was named to the

at the end of the season. On October 22, 2018, Kuzma scored a season-high 37 points against the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

in a 143–142 overtime loss. On January 9, 2019, he scored a career-high 41 points against the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at ...

in a 113–100 win. He was selected again for the Rising Stars game and earned

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a partic ...

honors after scoring a game-high 35 points. On August 10, 2020, Kuzma scored a game-winning three pointer to lift the Lakers to a 124–121 win over the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

, to cap off his 25 point night. In the postseason, he scored a career playoff high 19 points in Game 3 of the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is aw ...

, in a 115–104 loss against the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at F ...

. The Lakers won the series 4–2 to tie the league high with their 17th

. On December 21, 2020, Kuzma signed a three-year, $40 million contract extension with the Lakers.

Washington Wizards (2021–present)

On August 6, 2021, Kuzma was traded to the

as part of a package for

Russell Westbrook Russell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, he is a nine-time NBA All-Star and e ...

. Kuzma made his Wizards debut on October 20, recording eleven points, 15 rebounds and three assists in a 98–83 win over the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

. On November 10, he made four three pointers in the fourth quarter of a game against the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Centr ...

, including two in the final 30 seconds to elevate the Wizards to a 97–94 win. On December 8, Kuzma recorded 26 points, seven rebounds, four assists and hit a game-winning three-pointer in a 119–116 win over the

. On January 3, 2022, he scored a season-high 36 points, alongside 14 rebounds and six assists, in a 124–121 win over the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and p ...

. On January 9, Kuzma grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds, alongside 27 points, in a 102–100 win over the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

. On February 10, he recorded his first career triple-double in a 113–112 win over the

, scoring 15 points while adding 13 rebounds and 10 assists. On February 25, Kuzma tied his season high of 36 points, alongside eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals, in a 157–153 double overtime loss to the

. On January 11, 2023, Kuzma scored 21 points and made a game-winning three-pointer in a 100–97 win over the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

. The next game, Kuzma scored a season-high 40 points, along with seven rebounds and seven assists in a 112–108 loss against the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associa ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 77 , , 37 , , 31.2, , .450 , , .366 , , .707 , , 6.3 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .4 , , 16.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 70 , , 68 , , 33.1 , , .456 , , .303 , , .752 , , 5.5 , , 2.5 , , .6 , , .4 , , 18.7 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 61 , , 9 , , 25.0 , , .436 , , .316 , , .735 , , 4.5 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , .4 , , 12.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 68 , , 32 , , 28.7 , , .443 , , .361 , , .691 , , 6.1 , , 1.9 , , .5 , , .6 , , 12.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Washington , 66 , , 66 , , 33.4 , , .452 , , .341 , , .712 , , 8.5 , , 3.5 , , .6 , , .9 , , 17.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 342 , , 212 , , 30.4 , , .449 , , .339 , , .723 , , 6.2 , , 2.2 , , .6 , , .5 , , 15.6

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , style="background:#cfecec;", 21* , , 0 , , 23.0 , , .430 , , .313 , , .784 , , 3.1 , , .8 , , .3 , , .3 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 6 , , 0 , , 21.5 , , .292 , , .174 , , .667 , , 3.8 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , .2 , , 6.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 27 , , 0 , , 22.7 , , .401 , , .283 , , .761 , , 3.3 , , .9 , , .3 , , .3 , , 9.1

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

, 31 , , 0 , , 8.1 , , .456 , , .324 , , .556 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .0 , , .2 , , 3.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 36 , , 35 , , 24.1 , , .522 , , .255 , , .611 , , 5.7 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , .4 , , 10.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, 29 , , 29 , , 30.8 , , .504 , , .321 , , .669 , , 9.3 , , 2.4 , , .6 , , .5 , , 16.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 96 , , 64 , , 21.0 , , .506 , , .302 , , .631 , , 5.6 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , .4 , , 10.1

Awards and honors

;NBA * NBA Rising Stars Challenge MVP (2019) * 2×

(2018, 2019) *

(2018) ;College * First-team All-Pac-12 (

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

)

Personal life

Kuzma has been in a relationship with Canadian model

Winnie Harlow Chantelle Whitney Brown-Young (born July 27, 1994), known professionally as Winnie Harlow, is a Canadian fashion model and public spokesperson on the skin condition vitiligo. She gained prominence in 2014 as a contestant on the 21st cycle of th ...

since 2020.

References

External links

Utah Utes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuzma, Kyle 1995 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Flint, Michigan Basketball players from Philadelphia Brooklyn Nets draft picks Los Angeles Lakers players Power forwards (basketball) Small forwards Utah Utes men's basketball players Washington Wizards players