Kyle Kuzma is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
He played college basketball for the Utah Utes and was named first-team all-conference in the Pac-12 as a junior in 2016-17.
Kuzma was selected in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft with the 27th overall pick and has played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards.
He has been named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and won an NBA championship with the Lakers in 2020.
Siblings
Kuzma has a younger half-brother named Andre Smith.
Born in 1998, Andre is currently 26 years old and grew up with Kyle in Flint, Michigan.
He played basketball at Carman-Ainsworth High School in Flint, and it’s clear that he has a close relationship with Kyle, often attending his NBA games and events to show support.
Kyle also has a younger half-sister named Briana. Born in 2000, Briana is currently 24 years old and also grew up with Kyle in Flint.
Like Andre, she attended Carman-Ainsworth High School and has a strong bond with her half-brother.
Briana has been spotted at Lakers games, cheering on Kyle and showing her pride in his NBA success.
College career
Kuzma’s college basketball career at the University of Utah was marked by steady improvement and a strong final season.
He redshirted his freshman year due to signing a late national letter of intent with Utah, allowing him to gain a year of eligibility and develop his skills before entering the lineup.
As a sophomore, Kuzma became a starter in all 34 games, averaging 10.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.
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This showed promising signs of his future potential and set the stage for his breakout junior year.
Kuzma’s junior year was his most successful at Utah, earning him first-team All-Pac-12 honors.
He averaged 16.4 points, 9.3 rebounds.and 2.4 assists per game, demonstrating significant improvement from his sophomore year.
His strong performance led to him being considered for the NBA draft, ultimately deciding to forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2017 NBA draft.
Professional career
Kuzma’s professional career began in 2017 when he was selected by the Brooklyn Nets with the 27th overall pick in the NBA draft.
However, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on draft day in exchange for D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov.
Kuzma signed his rookie scale contract with the Lakers on July 3, 2017.
In his early professional career, he played in the 2017 NBA Summer League, leading the team in points scored and becoming a consistent presence during the event.
Kuzma was named to the All-Summer League Second Team and won 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.
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 Brooklyn Nets.
Kuzma also recorded another double-double with 30 points and 10 rebounds in a 122–113 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
His rookie season was marked by significant achievements.
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 goals.
Kuzma 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 continued to play for the Lakers until 2020, when he won an NBA championship.
Kuzma was traded to the Washington Wizards in 2021 and has been playing for them since then.
Throughout his professional career, he has demonstrated steady improvement and significant achievements, including winning an NBA championship and being named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
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