Since arriving in the NBA, Kyle Kuzma has been a portrait of basketball culture.
As an NBA champion and a skilled forward his reputation precedes him, but what many look over is Kuzma’s life off the court. Away from basketball, “Kuz” is a well-versed cultural connoisseur.
To fully welcome Kuz to Milwaukee, it’s time to get to know the newcomer and what exactly he enjoys outside of basketball.
Before the NBA
Kuzma was raised in Flint, MI. Ever since his parents gave him a Fisher-Price hoop at two years old, basketball has been his safe haven, he said in an interview with CBS.
Growing up in Flint shaped a large part of his life. “It’s a really violent place and there’s a lot of temptation to get into the streets,” Kuzma said of Flint. “Basketball really kept me grounded during those trying times.”
From Flint, Kuz went on to play collegiate basketball for the Utah Utes. He was named to the All-Pac 12 First Team his junior year before declaring for the NBA draft in 2017.
Fashion
Since entering the league, Kuz has become an icon of athlete culture. He has notoriously turned heads with his clothing choices.
Kuz first became interested in fashion as a young kid while attending church with his grandmother, according to Vogue.
A ‘watch fiend’ and a massive fan of Rick Owens, according to Nylon, Kuz is well-versed in the fashion world. Most notably, he’s been known for his tunnel fits, showing up to games in outfits that catch the attention of the NBA world.
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Despite catching it often, Kuz isn’t fazed by criticism from his peers and fans.
“I mean, I’ve always been confident,” Kuzma told Complex. “I’m comfortable in my own skin and I don’t really care about the opinions of other people because everything is really relative and everyone has things that they like and things that they don’t like. I wear what I want.”
Despite the buzz around his wardrobe, Kuzma decided to retire his tunnel fits, which he told Vogue was because he’s conscious of younger guys in the league.
“I can speak from experience that when you’re a younger player, you don’t want to wear the same thing twice,” Kuzma said. “A lot of times we get played into thinking, oh, we gotta switch it up, we gotta buy something new. And now we’re just buying clothes to impress people or to stand out. It’s ludicrous.”
Kuz’s bold outfit choices have helped turn him into a certified fashion symbol.
In 2022, Kuzma walked in Puma’s “Futrograde” presentation at the New York Fashion Week.
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He’s a star of the arts, but it doesn’t end with fashion and clothing.
Wine
Kuz is known to be an avid wine drinker and bottle collector.
According to NBC Washington, it all started in his rookie year for the Lakers when a singular dinner piqued his interest.
“After that dinner, it was like ‘okay, I gotta start getting into wine and trying them,’” Kuzma said. “So, I bought a small, little fridge and that fridge eventually turned into a medium-size and then into a fridge of like 150 [bottles]. Now in my home back West, I have like a 750-bottle cellar.”
Across his wide collection, Kuz owns bottles from 1865 and 1925. The price of his bottles range from 25 to hundreds of dollars, according to NBC.
The fact that he can drink wine during the season also entices him. It’s light enough to drink within his diet, as long as there’s water to balance it out, he says.
Kuzma can see himself living on a vineyard when his basketball career is over. He told NBC that someday he may dive into the manufacturing business himself.
Philanthropy
Aside from appreciating the arts, Kuzma uses his paychecks for philanthropy, particularly for his community in Flint. In 2017, he and his mother founded the Kyle Kuzma Family Foundation.
The foundation’s purpose, listed on their website, is to provide financial support to single mothers and improve the lives of their children. According to the foundation they’ve donated $1 million to the Flint YMCA, and raised $825,000 at their celebrity golf tournament.
Additionally, Kuz values improving the lives of women in jail. He held an event at the Genesee County Jail and provided Christmas gifts for them and their children. He also partnered with organizations that specialize in rehabilitation and Thankful Meals.
Kuz has made a discernable impact on the community of women in Flint. His philanthropic efforts earned the Bob Lanier Community Assist Award for November 2023.
It’s undeniable that his philanthropic efforts are impressive, and his foundation has shown promising growth in its first few years.
Welcome to Milwaukee, Kyle Kuzma
Kuz is an NBA player that exudes a unique personality. In a league full of characters, he stands in a different group.
He’s a champion, a fan of the arts, a model, a philanthropist, and more.
It’s time for Bucks fans to know the real Kyle Kuzma and appreciate him for more than his play on the court.
Welcome to Milwaukee, Kuz.
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