Although Kyle Kuzma is only in his second season, he’s carried himself like a veteran and shown a commitment to giving back that’s typically not seen from a player until he is further along in his career.
Last summer, the 23-year-old hosted the inaugural Kyle Kuzma Basketball Camp in his hometown of Flint, Mich. The three-day camp was open to boys and girls, ages seven to 11, and 12 to 16, with registration coming at no cost.
In addition to providing a learning environment for the children, Kuzma gave campers a backpack filled with assorted Lakers and general products, as well as school supplies.
With the Lakers’ road trip taking them to Detroit, Kuzma had an opportunity to see the campers on Friday as he hosted them for the Pistons game. The reunion was one that carried significance to Kuzma, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“It means a lot. A lot of those kids were in my camp this (past) summer, so they were very excited to see me. Couple kids (said), ‘Hey, do you remember me?’ It was an awesome feeling seeing people from Flint. Growing up I didn’t really come down to Detroit to see too many Pistons games. For them to come down and watch two people from Flint, with JaVale, it was awesome.”
Kuzma had a bit of a quiet scoring night in his homecoming, though finished with 12 points, six rebounds and a career-high 10 assists. The double-double was Kuzma’s fourth this season but first with points and assists.
It was an effort that Lakers head coach Luke Walton touted as the best the team has seen from Kuzma in terms of playmaking.
On the charitable side, Kuzma previously stated a goal of his was to make a lasting impact in his hometown. He’s often worked to raise awareness for the water crisis and other challenges the citizens in Flint continue to face. Kuzma has also been involved with various charitable efforts in Los Angeles.