Kyle Kuzma plays for the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers. Kuzma made an impression while playing for the Utah Utes, and the Brooklyn Nets selected him with the 27th overall choice in the 2017 NBA Draft. As Kyle was traded to the Lakers on draft night, he was unable to play for the Nets.
Kuzma had an immediate impact in Los Angeles and showed good enough play to be selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Kyle has contributed to the Lakers’ effort to capture the 2020 NBA title. The Lebron-led team has a 2-game lead over the Miami Heat and is well-positioned to win the championship.
Karri, the mother of Kyle Kuzma, gave up a potential shot-put career
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Karri, the mother of Kuzma, gave up a potential shot-put career to raise Kyle alone in Flint, Michigan. She demonstrated potential in her high school athletic career. Karri participated in basketball and volleyball on the varsity team at Otisville Lakeville High School, but track and field were where she excelled.
She won the Class B state shot put championship twice and finished second in the discus competition. Karri had intended to pursue her profession in college, but while attending Hillsdale College, she became pregnant.
Karri decided to relocate to Flint, Michigan, where she would raise Kyle alone. Kyle didn’t grow up in a luxurious environment because Karri had trouble finding stable work.
She wasn’t qualified for well-paying employment because she had dropped out of college. Although Karri believes she might have been able to complete her degree, she is not sorry about the choice she made. To the Detroit Free Press, she stated:
“Raising Kyle was the best decision I’ve ever made, therefore I don’t have any regrets. We undoubtedly had difficulties, but I’ve always had a strong work ethic that I inherited from my mother and grandfather, so I refused to let the difficulties get the better of us. Kyle gained a lot of knowledge from our experience and strengthened his work ethic and willpower to pursue his objectives.
Kyle Kuzma used basketball as a means of escape
It distracted him from his troubles with his family and kept him from joining gangs. Kyle frequently expressed his desire to play in the NBA to his mother and friends. When her son joined the Lakers in 2017, Karri didn’t take it as a surprise since she had faith in him.
Kyle’s biggest supporter, Karri, is constantly there to give advice and encouragement. To the Detroit Free Press, Kyle stated:
“Mom called me after every game during Summer League to see how I was doing and to offer some motherly counsel. She questioned my performance and advised me to let my abilities on the court speak for themselves.
Kyle Kuzma was raised by his step-dad Larry Smith
Kyle was raised by his stepdad Larry Smith; he was never introduced to his real father. Kyle has no recollection of his biological father, although this has no bearing on him. Kyle was raised by his stepdad, Larry Smith, who acted as his father figure.
Smith put up a hoop in the family’s living room to introduce Kyle to basketball. To the Detroit Free Press, Kyle stated:
“Because I got used to it growing up and (Larry) has been amazing to me, it’s not a huge thing to me that I don’t know my real father. He and my mother installed a Little Tykes hoop in the living room, and he was the first person I played basketball with after that. Andre, Kuzma’s half-brother, and Briana, his half-sister, both accompanied him as a child.
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