Kyle Kuzma is part of a young Lakers core that is having the time of their lives. All last season and into the summer, he and teammate Lonzo Ball have made headlines for their mostly good-natured-young-people antics, which consist primarily of them teasing one another for their fashion sense, their funky-looking shooting form, or their questionable rhyme skills.
But now that LeBron James is in town, they’ll be expected to show some maturity. Despite the carefree persona he presents to the world, it appears Kuzma is already channeling his energy toward a cause that’s been of the highest importance to him for some time: Providing humanitarian aid to his hometown of Flint, Michigan.
The second-year forward is looking toward none other than his new teammate as a model for how to make an impact in his community, which is still going through a water crisis that has been in the public eyes for years with seemingly no end in sight.
Kuzma, 23, may not be running for office, but he hopes to follow in the footsteps of his new All-Star running mate on the court. Kuzma wants to help Flint the way James — who uses his platform to take a stand and speak out on social and political issues — has repeatedly given back to Akron. James recently helped build a school in his hometown.
***
“LeBron is a role model in that sense,” Kuzma said. “Because for him to be as good as he is and how high up he is on the totem pole, to still care about Akron, Ohio, that is tremendous and speaks volumes.”
“He is from a small city and I am from a small city. So I want to [have] that type of impact on my community.”
Kuzma visited the Safe Places Program at the local YMCA this summer, where he shared his story of growing up in Flint with the youth assembled there. He also launched his inaugural summer basketball camp for more than 300 kids and handed out backpacks, water bottles, and other supplies.
With his growing social media presence and all the added coverage that will accompany LeBron, Kuzma will have an even larger platform to bring awareness to the issues plaguing his hometown. And in LeBron, he couldn’t ask for a better mentor on how to give back to his community.
(Via ESPN)
