Kyle Kuzma is an American professional basketball player who plays as a forward for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. His career as a basketball player is exciting and fast-paced but so are other areas of his life. Read on to learn more.
Kyle Kuzma Bio (Ethnicity, Age)
Kyle Kuzma was born in Burton, Michigan on the 24th of July, 1995, and given the full name, Kyle Alexander Kuzma. He is biracial and holds American citizenship as his biological father is of African-American ethnicity while his mother has her ancestry traced to Ukraine, England, and Germany. The last name Kuzma is a popular surname of the Slavic people which originates from Russia. The name is particularly more common in Slavic countries like Hungary, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Slovakia.
Similar to many of the other NBA stars and upcoming players, Kyle Kuzma is a part of a multiracial Lakers locker room that includes Lonzo Ball, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance Jr.
Kyle Kuzma’s love for basketball was kindled as a young boy, often practicing with a basketball rim in the living room. Kyle saw basketball as his safe haven from the rough streets of Flint Michigan where he grew up. He attended Swartz Creek community school and later moved to Bentley High School. While at Bentley High School as a junior, he managed to average 17.9 points, 14.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 3.4 blocks per game.
While still at Bentley, Kyle sent shooting tapes to preparatory schools and this caught the attention of the head coach of rising Academy, Vin Sparacio, who was impressed and brought the young player in. Kyle Kuzma while at rising Academy raised his average to 22 points and seven rebounds for each game and also got offers to play with Division Schools which included Tennessee, Iowa State, and Connecticut.
In 2003, Kuzma enrolled at the University of Utah and graduated with a degree in Sociology. Foregoing his final year of college eligibility, Kuzma entered the 2017 NBA draft and was the 27th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft for the Brooklyn Nets. He was traded on draft-night trade to Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for D’Angelo Russell who went to the Brooklyn Nets from the Los Angeles Lakers and then later signed a rookie scale contract with the Lakers on July 3rd, 2017.
Following his rookie season, Kyle was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He played in seven out of eight games for Los Angeles Lakers and also started in six of the games which were part of the NBA Summer League and led the team in terms of points scored and became a consistent presence going forward.
Kyle Kuzma was named to the All-Summer League Second Team after recording averages of 21.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game. After recording a double-double of 30 points and 10 rebounds in a 110-98 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in the championship match, he was also named the Summer League Championship Game MVP.
Kyle got himself named the Western Conference Rookie of the month for the games played in October/November and was recognized as the first NBA rookie to have accumulated in his first 20 games; 330 points, 120 rebounds, and 30 made three-pointers in his first 2 games. On the 22nd of May after his rookie season, Kyle Kuzma was named the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
Kyle has an annual salary and a net worth f $3.1 million as provided by the NBA upon signing the contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and he is the ninth best-paid player in his team.
Parents and Family
Kyle Kuzma is the son of Karri Kuzma, his mother, who was a high school shot put champion and who attended college on a track scholarship. Karri had Kyle out of wedlock to an absentee African American dad. She and Kyle moved a total of nine times in 16 years during Kyle’s childhood, as she would work two jobs most of the time to provide for her son. As a single mother in Flint Michigan, Karri recognized his son’s potential early and has watched him blossom into an outstanding basketball player.
On the other hand, as far as Kyle Kuzma’s father is concerned, the family has not mentioned or discussed the topic publicly. What is been heard and known about his father is that, he is of African-American heritage and that, he is not nearly as present in Kyle’s life as his mother is. Kyle’s mother married another man named Larry Smith who he views as a father figure. Kyle has a younger half-brother named Andre and a younger half-sister – Briana.
Is Kyle Kuzma Married? Girlfriend
Kyle Kuzma is very private about his dating life. He rarely speaks about his love life. Thus, he may be in a relationship and has opted to keep it secret. However, he is now reported to be in a new relationship with a woman Known as Sophia Jamora who has been spotted at some of his games. None of them have made an official statement about their relationship just yet.
What is Kyle Kuzma’s Height?
Kyle Kuzma stands at 6 feet 9 inches which fits the bill as to what a modern NBA forward would be expected to look like. His eyes and hair color are black. Information about his other body measurements is unavailable.
