Kyle Kuzma facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kyle Kuzma

Kuzma with the Washington Wizards in 2022
No. 18 – Milwaukee Bucks
Small forward
Personal information
Born	(1995-07-24) July 24, 1995 (age 30) Flint, Michigan, U.S.
High school	Bentley (Burton, Michigan) Rise Academy (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	221 lb (100 kg)
Career information
College	Utah (2014–2017)
NBA Draft	2017 / Round: 1 / Pick: 27th overall
Selected by the Brooklyn Nets
Pro career	2017–present
League	NBA
Career history
2017–2021	Los Angeles Lakers
2021–2025	Washington Wizards
2025–present	Milwaukee Bucks
Career highlights and awards
NBA champion (2020) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2018) First-team All-Pac-12 (2017)

Kyle Alexander Kuzma, born on July 24, 1995, is an American professional basketball player. He plays for the Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Kyle played college basketball for the Utah Utes. He was recognized as one of the best players in his college conference. The Los Angeles Lakers picked him in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2018. Kyle won an NBA championship with the Lakers in 2020. He then joined the Washington Wizards in 2021.

Early Life and Basketball Beginnings

Growing Up in Flint, Michigan

Kyle Kuzma was born on July 24, 1995, in Flint, Michigan. His mother, Karri Kuzma, was a high school champion in shot put. She even went to college on a track scholarship. Kyle has a younger half-brother, Andre, and a younger half-sister, Briana.

Kyle's parents put a toy basketball hoop in their living room when he was only two years old. This started his love for basketball very early. Kyle has said that Flint was a "violent place" with many temptations. But basketball was his "safe haven."

High School Journey

Kyle went to Swartz Creek Community Schools before transferring. He then attended Bentley High School in Michigan. During his junior year, he played very well. He averaged 17.9 points, 14.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 3.4 blocks per game.

Kyle sent videos of himself playing basketball to special preparatory schools. A coach named Vin Sparacio saw his talent. Kyle was tall, about 6 feet 6 inches, and weighed 175 pounds. He had a great feel for the game. Coach Sparacio brought him to Rise Academy in Philadelphia. In his senior year at Rise Academy, Kyle averaged 22 points and seven rebounds per game. Many top college teams wanted him to play for them. These included Connecticut and Iowa State. Kyle chose to play for the University of Utah.

College Career at Utah

Starting at the University of Utah

Kyle Kuzma started at the University of Utah in 2013. He did not play in his first year. This is called "redshirting" and happens when a player signs late. He became a starter for the Utes in his second year. He averaged 10.8 points per game that season.

Becoming a Star Player

In his junior year, during the 2016–17 season, Kyle played even better. He averaged 16.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. His great performance earned him first-team All-Pac-12 honors. After this successful season, Kyle decided to enter the 2017 NBA draft. He chose to go to the NBA instead of playing his final year of college basketball. Kyle graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in sociology.

Professional Basketball Journey

Joining the Los Angeles Lakers (2017–2021)

The Brooklyn Nets picked Kyle Kuzma as the 27th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. However, he never played for the Nets. On draft day, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. This trade also involved Brook Lopez going to the Lakers. In exchange, the Nets received D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov. Many people thought Kyle would be picked later in the draft. On July 3, 2017, he officially signed his first contract with the Lakers.

Summer League Success

Kyle played very well in the 2017 NBA Summer League. He led the Lakers in points scored. He averaged 21.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game. He was named to the All-Summer League Second Team. Kyle also won the Summer League Championship Game MVP award. He scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the championship game. The Lakers won 110–98 against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Kuzma at Capital One Arena in 2018

Rookie Season Highlights

On November 3, 2017, Kyle started his first game. He scored 21 points and had 13 rebounds. This was his first "double-double" (scoring double digits in two categories). The Lakers won 124–112 against the Brooklyn Nets. On November 17, he scored 30 points and had 10 rebounds against the Phoenix Suns.

Kyle was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for October/November. In his first 20 games, he averaged 16.7 points. He shot 50.4 percent overall and 37.9 percent on three-point field goals. He was the first NBA rookie to get at least 330 points, 120 rebounds, and 30 three-pointers in his first 20 games. On December 20, he scored a career-high 38 points. This helped the Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 122–116. He played in the Rising Stars Challenge during the 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend. At the end of the season, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Continued Growth and an NBA Championship

On October 22, 2018, Kyle scored a season-high 37 points. This was against the San Antonio Spurs. On January 9, 2019, he scored a career-high 41 points. This helped the Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons 113–100. He was chosen again for the Rising Stars game. He won the MVP award for that game, scoring 35 points.

On August 10, 2020, Kyle made a game-winning three-pointer. This gave the Lakers a 124–121 win over the Denver Nuggets. In the playoffs, he scored a career playoff high of 19 points in Game 3 of the 2020 NBA Finals. The Lakers won the series 4–2 against the Miami Heat. This gave them their 17th NBA championship. On December 21, 2020, Kyle signed a new contract with the Lakers.

Moving to the Washington Wizards (2021–2025)

On August 6, 2021, Kyle Kuzma was traded to the Washington Wizards. This trade was part of a larger deal that sent Russell Westbrook to the Lakers. Kyle played his first game for the Wizards on October 20. He had 11 points, 15 rebounds, and three assists. The Wizards won 98–83 against the Toronto Raptors.

Key Moments with the Wizards

On November 10, Kyle made four three-pointers in the fourth quarter. Two of these were in the last 30 seconds. This helped the Wizards win 97–94 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. On December 8, Kyle scored 26 points and hit a game-winning three-pointer. The Wizards won 119–116 against the Detroit Pistons.

On January 3, 2022, he scored a season-high 36 points. He also had 14 rebounds and six assists. The Wizards won 124–121 against the Charlotte Hornets. On January 9, Kyle grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds. He also scored 27 points. The Wizards won 102–100 against the Orlando Magic. On February 10, he got his first "triple-double." This means he had double digits in three categories: 15 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. The Wizards won 113–112 against the Brooklyn Nets.

On January 11, 2023, Kyle scored 21 points and made a game-winning three-pointer. The Wizards won 100–97 against the Chicago Bulls. In the next game, Kyle scored a season-high 40 points. He also had seven rebounds and seven assists. On June 30, 2023, Kyle signed a new four-year contract to stay with the Wizards.

Joining the Milwaukee Bucks (2025–present)

On February 6, 2025, Kyle Kuzma was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. This was part of a trade involving multiple teams. He played his first game for the Bucks on February 7. He scored 12 points and had seven rebounds. The Bucks lost 107–112 to the Atlanta Hawks.

In the playoffs, Kyle played in a series against the Indiana Pacers. In one game, he had zero points, rebounds, assists, steals, or blocks. This was a rare event in playoff history. The Bucks lost the series in five games. Kyle finished the series averaging 5.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game.

Career Statistics

NBA Regular Season Stats

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2017–18	L.A. Lakers	77	37	31.2	.450	.366	.707	6.3	1.8	.6	.4	16.1
2018–19	L.A. Lakers	70	68	33.1	.456	.303	.752	5.5	2.5	.6	.4	18.7
2019–20	L.A. Lakers	61	9	25.0	.436	.316	.735	4.5	1.3	.5	.4	12.8
2020–21	L.A. Lakers	68	32	28.7	.443	.361	.691	6.1	1.9	.5	.6	12.9
2021–22	Washington	66	66	33.4	.452	.341	.712	8.5	3.5	.6	.9	17.1
2022–23	Washington	64	64	35.0	.448	.333	.730	7.2	3.7	.6	.5	21.2
2023–24	Washington	70	70	32.6	.463	.336	.775	6.6	4.2	.5	.7	22.2
2024–25	Washington	32	30	27.7	.420	.281	.602	5.8	2.5	.6	.2	15.2
	Milwaukee	33	32	31.8	.455	.333	.663	5.6	2.2	.5	.4	14.5
Career		541	408	31.2	.450	.334	.721	6.3	2.7	.6	.5	17.0

NBA Playoff Stats

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2020	L.A. Lakers	21	0	23.0	.430	.313	.784	3.1	.8	.3	.3	10.0
2021	L.A. Lakers	6	0	21.5	.292	.174	.667	3.8	1.2	.3	.2	6.3
2025	Milwaukee	5	4	20.4	.343	.200	.500	2.2	.8	.0	.2	5.8
Career		32	4	22.3	.393	.276	.731	3.1	.9	.3	.3	8.6

College Stats

Awards and Honors

NBA Achievements

• NBA Rising Stars Challenge MVP (2019)
• 2× Rising Stars Challenge (2018, 2019)
• NBA All-Rookie First Team (2018)

College Achievements

• First-team All-Pac-12 (2017)

Personal Life

Kyle Kuzma has been in a relationship with Canadian model Winnie Harlow since 2020. They announced their engagement in February 2025.

In 2020, Kyle met Bar Malik, a former director of performance for the Knicks. They decided to become business partners. They co-founded Drink Barcode, which makes the Barcode fitness water beverage.

See also

In Spanish: Kyle Kuzma para niños